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THE MESSIAH 



OF 



THE GOSPELS 



BY 



CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, D.D. 

EDWARD ROBINSON PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY IN THE 
UNION IHEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, NEW YORK 






NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

1894 






COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. 



PRESS OF 

EDWARD O. JENKINS' SON, 

NEW YORK. 



TO 

HENRY PRESERVED SMITH, D.D. 

TRUE SCHOLAR 

FAITHFUL FRIEND 

AND 

BRAVE COMPANION IN HOLY WARFARE 

®l)is Book 

IS DEDICATED IN SYMPATHY AND LOVE 



PREFACE. 

In the autumn of 1886 the volume entitled Messianic 
Prophecy w 'as published as the first of a series of volumes 
upon the Messianic Ideal. As was stated in the Preface 
to that volume : " It treats of Prophecy in general, of 
Messianic Prophecy in particular, and then traces the 
development of the Messianic idea in the Old Testa- 
ment, concluding with a summary of the ideal therein 
unfolded. It will remain for a second volume to show 
how far this ideal has been fulfilled by the first advent 
of the Messiah, and how far it remained unfulfilled and 
was taken up into New Testament Prophecy and carried 
on to a higher stage of development. A third volume 
should trace the history of the Messianic ideal in the 
Christian Church, and show its importance in the de- 
velopment of Christian doctrine." 

It was my intention at that time to publish the second 
volume of the series a short time after the first. The 
material had already been gathered and it was put in 
the form of a volume in the summer of 1888. But the 
Revision movement in the Presbyterian Church in the U. 
S. A. made it a duty to take my share in that great 
ecclesiastical struggle. Some of the fruits of these 
labors appeared in the volumes, Whither, 1889 5 anc * How 
Shall We Revise, 1890. The Revision movement had as 
its sequel a long struggle against ecclesiastical domina- 
tion and in behalf of the right of Biblical Criticism and 
of the fountains of authority in Religion. The fruits 

(vii) 



Vlll PRfcjFACE 

of my labors during this period will be found in several 
volumes: The Authority of Holy Scripture, 189 1 ; The 
Bible, the Church, and the Reason, 1892 ; The Higher 
Criticism of the Hexateuch, 1893 ; The Defe7ice of Prof . 
Briggs before the Presbytery of New York, 1893 ; The 
Case against Dr. Briggs, Parts L— III., 1 892-1 893. 

I now return with gladness to the more important and 
more profitable task which was undertaken prior to these 
ecclesiastical controversies. In the meanwhile my work 
on the Messianic ideal of the New Testament has not 
been neglected. I have gone over the field with many suc- 
cessive classes of theological students, and have so 
greatly increased my own knowledge of the subject that 
I am thankful that the publication of the work has been 
so long delayed. On the one hand I feel that my 
knowledge would be greatly enriched by still further de- 
lay. On the other hand I have a contribution to make 
to a better understanding of the subject, and it seems 
to me that the time has come for me to make it. 

The work will appear in two volumes. These will be 
published separately, and they may be used apart, al- 
though the one is a sequel to the other and both of 
them sequels to the volume on Messianic Prophecy. 
The first of these volumes, which is now offered to the 
public, treats of the Messianic ideas of pre-Christian 
Judaism, and of the Messiah of the Gospels. The second 
volume, to be published early in 1895, will discuss the 
Messianic ideas of the Jews of the New Testament times 
and the Messiah of the Epistles and the Apocalypse. 

No one can feel more deeply than the author how far 
short he falls of his own ideals and how many mysteries 
still envelop the person and work of our Lord and Sav- 
iour to him as to others ; but he is assured that, guided 
by the teachings of Christ and His apostles, he has caught 



PREFACE [ x 

glimpses of the Christ of the throne and of the Second 
Advent, which he did not learn from his theological 
teachers or from the writings of his predecessors or con- 
temporaries. He is convinced that the faith of the 
Church of the day is defective in its lack of apprehen- 
sion of the reigning Christ and in its neglect of the Second 
Advent of our Lord. 

The Catholic faith of Christ's Church is expressed in 
the earliest of the creeds, that which bears the name of 
the Apostles. The proportions of that faith have been 
destroyed in most of the modern systems of dogmatic 
theology, which exaggerate one third of its clauses 
and depreciate or neglect two-thirds of them. This 
creed is Christological. It gave me great pleasure, after 
I had completed my work, to find that every one of the 
clauses of the Catholic creed is included in the matters 
that must be discussed in the study of the Messiah of 
the New Testament. 

The faith of the Apostolic Church was fixed upon the 
Messiah enthroned at the right hand of God, ruling over 
the Church, and soon to come in visible presence to re- 
ward the faithful and to condemn and punish the un- 
faithful and the wicked. This is the normal Christian 
attitude at all times, looking upward to the enthroned 
Christ and looking forward to His Parousia. 

The Christian Church of Western Europe, under the 
influence of the Augustian theology, has been looking 
backward and downward instead of upward and forward. 
In the doctrine of God it has been grubbing in the 
eternal Decree. In the doctrine of man it has been dis- 
secting the corpse of the first Adam and searching for 
the germs of the disease of original sin which slew him 
and all our race. Accordingly, religion has been sad, 
gloomy, and sour. In the doctrine of Christ it has been 



x PREFACE 

living in Passion week, following the stations of the 
cross, and bowing in penitence before the crucifix. This 
is a very inadequate and one-sided Christianity. This 
is not the Christian faith of the Apostles. It is not that 
form of Christian theology which is to transform the 
world. There is an eternal Decree, yes, but its essential 
content for us is its final aim, that we may be conformed 
to the image of God's Son that " He might be the first- 
born among many brethren." There is original sin in 
the first Adam. It is a terrible reality. But it has 
been annulled and destroyed once for all and forever 
in the Second Adam. " For as through the one man's 
disobedience the many were made sinners, even so 
through the obedience of the One shall the many be 
made righteous." 

We must be buried by baptism into the death of the 
crucified, but the burial for the Messiah and His people 
alike does not accomplish its purpose until God has 
quickened us together with Christ and raised us up with 
Him and made us to sit with Him in the heaven- 
ly places in Christ Jesus. As Bishop Westcott well 
says : " The crucifix with the dead Christ obscures 
our faith. Our thoughts rest not upon a dead, 
but upon a living Christ." And so the late Prof. Milligan 
says: "No doubt the crucifix is to thousands upon 
thousands a spiritual help, and the figure of our Lord 
upon the cross preaches to them of the love of God with 
a power which the words of men can rarely, if ever, 
equal. Yet the empty cross is to be preferred as being 
a symbol, not a representation ; as symbolizing, more- 
over, the resurrection as well as the death of the Re- 
deemer. He has borne the cross and passed from it for- 
ever." With these eminent representatives of the 
modern Anglican and Presbyterian communions I must 



PREFACE 



XI 



express my entire agreement as the result of my study 
of the Christ of the Gospels and the Christ of the 
Apostles. 

The cross stained with the blood drops of our Re- 
deemer is the most sacred symbol of our holy religion. 
Let it crown all our churches ! Let it lead all our pro- 
cessions ! Let it be worn on the hearts of all Christian 
people ! But it is precious not because it points 
downward to death and the grave, but because it ever 
points upward to the living Christ who was lifted on 
that cross in order to be lifted thereby higher to His 
heavenly throne, to reign there as the one Mediator be- 
tween God and man, whose pierced hands and feet and 
side, the scars of that cross, are the eternal pledges of 
His victory over Law and Sin and Death, and of the jus- 
tification, sanctification, and glorification which He has 
won for our race and which He is graciously bestowing 
upon His kingdom. 



CONTENTS. 

I. 

The Messianic Idea in Pre-Christian Judaism, p. i. 

(i) The Palestinian Messianic idea, p. 4; (2) The Advent of the 
Apocalypse of Enoch, p. 9 ; (3) The Seventy Shepherds, p. 12 ; 
(4) The Ten Ages, p. 14 ; (5) The Earliest Sibylline Oracle, 
p. 16 ; (6) The Son of Man of the Similitudes of Enoch, 
p. 23 ; (7) The Messiah of the Psalter of Solomon, p. 31 ; (8) 
The Hellenistic Messianic idea, p. 36 ; (9) The Messianic 
ideas of the Jewish sects, p. 38. 

II. 

The Messianic Idea of the Forerunners of Jesus, p. 41. 

(10) The Songs of Annunciation, p. 43 ; (11) The Songs of the 
Mothers, p. 54; (12) The Songs of the Fathers, p. 56 ; (13) 
The Herald of the Messiah, p. 63. 

III. 

The Messiah of Mark, p. 70. 

(14) The Son of God, p. 75; (15) The Kingdom at hand, p. 78 ; (16) 
The Authority of the Son of Man, p. 80 ; (17) The Parables 
of the Kingdom, p. 87 ; (18) Jesus recognized as Messiah, 
p. 92; (19) The Resurrection and the Second Advent, 
p. 94; (20) The Transfiguration, p. 100; (21) The Kingdom 
of the Childlike, p. 101 ; (22) The Son of Man is a Ransom, 
p. 107 ; (23) The Messiah claims His Own, p. 112 ; (24) The 
Rejected Corner-Stone, p. 114; (25) The Lord of David, 
p. 118; (26) Ere another Communion Meal, p. 120; (27) The 
Rejected Shepherd, p. 125; (28) The Rejected Messiah, 
p. 126; (29) The Messiah's Death and Resurrection, p. 128. 

(xiii) 



XJV THE MESSIAH 

IV. 

The Apocalypse of Jesus, p. 132. 

(30) The Prelude, p. 136; The Inquiry, p. 137; The Negative 
Answer as to the Time, p. 140 ; The Positive Answer as to 
the Time, p. 143 ; The Sign of the Destruction of Jerusalem 
and the Temple, p. 147 ; The Sign of the Second Advent, 
p. 151; The Relation of the Signs to the Advent, p. 156; 
Exhortation to Watch, p. 163. 

V. 

The Messiah of Matthew, p. 166. 

(31) Jesus superior to Temptation, p. 166 ; (32) The Righteous- 
ness of the Kingdom, p. 171 ; (33) The Messiah's Credentials, 
p. 176; (34) The Kingdom which had come upon them, 
p. 179; (35) The Kingdom Nigh, p. 181 ; (36) The Sign of the 
Prophet Jonah, p. 186 ; (37) The Rock Peter, p. 189; (38) 
The disciple like the Master, p. 195 ; (39) The Kingdom 
the Supreme Quest, p. 202 ; (40) The Judgment of the 
Kingdom, p. 206 ; (41) The Obstructions to the Kingdom, 
p. 211 ; (42) The Head of the Corner, p. 21 5 ; (43) Watching, 
p. 218; (44) The Royal Judgment, p. 221; (45) The Re- 
wards of the Kingdom, p. 227 ; (46) The Great Commission, 
p. 228. 

VI. 

The Messiah of Luke, p. 233. 

(47) The Son of God, p. 233 ; (48) The Rejected Prophet, p. 236 ; 
(49) The Guilt of rejecting the Gospel, p. 238 ; (50) The In- 
visible Kingdom, p. 244; (51) The Lesser Apocalypse of 
Jesus, p. 246 ; (52) The Shining forth of the Kingdom, 
p. 249 ; (53) The Woes of Jerusalem, p. 251 ; (54) The Risen 
Messiah, p. 252 ; (55) The Power from on High, p. 254. 



CONTENTS xv 

VII. 

The Messiah of John, p. 257. 

(56) The Messiah in Glory, p. 257 ; (57) The Sign of the New 
Temple, p. 259 ; (58) The Kingdom of the Heaven-born, 
p. 261 ; (59) The Exalted Messiah, p. 266; (60) Universal 
Worship, p. 271 ; (61) The Father's own Son, p. 273 ; (62) 
The Bread from Heaven, p. 277 ; (63) Rivers of Living 
Water, p. 281 ; (64) The Light of the World, p. 282; (65) 
The Good Shepherd, p. 284 ; (66) The Seed and the Fruit, 
p. 287; (67) The Paraclete, p. 288; (68) The Kingdom of 
the Truth, p. 304 ; (69) Lord and God, p. 306 ; (70) The 
Martyrdom of Simon, p. 307. 

VIII. 

The Messiah of the Gospels, p. 309. 

The Day of Yahvveh, p. 310; The Advent of Yahweh, p. 313; 
The Father and the Shepherd, p. 314; The Promised Land, 
p. 315 ; The Messianic King, p. 316 ; The Kingdom of God, 
p. 324; The Holy Priesthood, p. 328; The Ideal Man, 
p. 328 , Victory over Evil, p. 329 ; The Faithful Prophet, 
p. 329 ; The New Covenant, p. 332 ; The Second Advent, 
P- 333. 



THE MESSIAH OF THE GOSPELS 



CHAPTER I. 

THE MESSIANIC IDEA IN PRE-CHRISTIAN JUDAISM. 

The Jewish people did not cease to produce a rich 
and varied religious literature, consisting of history, 
poetry, wisdom, and prophecy, during their subjection 
to the Greek and Roman yoke. The various types of 
character and schools of thought, which are represented 
in the sacred writings of the Jewish canon of the Old 
Testament, did not cease with the prophet Malachi in 
the Persian period, as the uncritical traditional opinion 
of former times supposed. These types and schools 
perpetuated themselves in numerous writings deep down 
into the Greek period, and even into the Roman period 
and the times of the New Testament. After the fixing 
of the canon of the Pentateuch by the priestly lawyers 
and narrators, who were especially active during the 
exile and the early years of the Restoration, the priestly 
school produced the memorials of Ezra and Nehemiah 
in the Persian period, and the work of the chronicler in 
the Greek period. The priestly tendency passed over 



2 THE MESSIAH 

into the schools of the scribes and renewed its life in 
oral traditional instruction, which found little expression 
in literature until the second century of the Christian 
era. The prophetic tendency, after the fixing of the 
canon of the former and latter prophets, was active in 
pseudepigrapha and in historical didactic stories such 
as the books of Daniel, Esther, and Ruth, which found 
their way into the third canon ; and in a great number 
of other pseudepigrapha and didactic stories, some of 
which were taken up into the apocryphal books of the 
Hellenistic canon, a still larger number remaining in an 
uncertain condition outside the collection of sacred 
books of the Hebrew and Hellenistic Scriptures, but 
making their way, in part, into the Ethiopic and other 
ancient versions of the Old Testament Scriptures, and, 
in part, into canonical recognition in the private opinion 
of certain early Christian writers. 

The writings of the third Hebrew canon also repre- 
sent the lyric type of the Psalter and Lamentations, and 
the type of Wisdom in the books of Proverbs, Job, Song 
of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. Both of these types had a 
long literary development. The Psalter embraces many 
psalms from the Greek period, and a considerable num- 
ber of Maccabean psalms. The Wisdom Literature 
includes Ecclesiastes, which belongs to the Greek period. 
These were taken up into the third canon. But other 
writings of the same types were subsequently composed, 
some of which appear in the Apocrypha, others among 
the Pseudepigrapha. The lines between the canonical 
and the extra-canonical writings were drawn by the 
pious judgment of those who fixed the several success- 
ive canons. The judgment of later ages has in the 
main confirmed these lines, although there are some 
writings with regard to which opinion has fluctuated. 



OF PRE-CHRISTIAN JUDAISM 3 

In general it may be said that the extra-canonical writ- 
ings do not exhibit the pure Biblical types. The 
writers, unrestrained by divine inspiration, were de- 
flected from the normal lines of Biblical development 
by various influences bearing upon them, either from 
internal weaknesses and defects of Jewish disposition 
and character, or from the religious ideas of the Per- 
sians or the Greeks, which became the historical environ- 
ment of their thinking and of their life. 

Hellenistic culture was spread over the Orient by the 
conquests of Alexander and propagated in the king- 
doms of his successors by Greek officials and colonists. 
This culture attracted not a few of the Jews in Syria, 
Palestine, and especially in Egypt, by its wealth of 
beauty and richness of thought. The two centuries 
divided by the advent of the Messiah are those in which 
this type of thought became powerful. It idealized the 
Messianic promise, and resolved the person of the Mes- 
siah and His kingdom into the mystic and hazy hope of 
a better and more ethical future. 

Persian religious ideas seem to have had little influence 
during the period of the Persian domination ; but in the 
Greek period these made their influence felt in a direction 
contrary to that of the Greek culture, especially among the 
Jews remaining on the east of the Euphrates and in its 
broad valley. The prophetic times were reduced to 
definite numbers, and the person of the Messiah was 
resolved into a series of human saviours. These ideas 
came into Palestine in connection with the Maccabean 
revolution, and subsequently in the rise and predomi- 
nance of the zealots among the Jews. 

The internal weakness of Jewish character disclosed 
itself in the tendency to overlook the spiritual ele- 
ments of the Messianic idea and to hope for the restora- 



4 THE MESSIAH 

tion of the kingdom to Israel, with all the worldly pros- 
perity that seemed involved therein. The Messiah, the 
Son of David, who is not so prominent in the last period 
of the Messianic promise of the Old Testament as He 
was during the existence of the Hebrew monarchy, was 
crowded into the background or else forgotten, and the 
common desire of the nation, especially in times undis- 
turbed by revolutionary efforts on the one hand or of 
persecution on the other, was for the judicial interposi- 
tion of God Himself. 

The Biblical Messianic idea was not altogether forgot- 
ten. It was retained, and found expression in several 
writings which adhered closely to the Biblical models. 
But these were overwhelmed by the mass of literature 
and the weight of opinion, which were constantly lead- 
ing the nation away from the pure Messianic ideals of 
the Old Testament. 

THE PALESTINIAN MESSIANIC IDEA. 

§ I. The stricter Palestinian Judaism fixed its hopes 
upon the triumph of Israel through divine intervention 
and judgment. Elijah was to return and restore the 
tribes of Israel. The kingdom of David was to be revived. 
Jerusalem was to be rebuilt of precious stones and become 
the everlasting abode of God and His people. All nations 
would become tributary. There zvould be an everlasting 
covenant. 

One of the latest writings of the Old Testament 
was doubtless the book of Ecclesiastes, a product of 
the type of Hebrew wisdom, written by an unknown 
author of the Greek epoch. The first writing of 
the apocryphal literature was of the same type. It 
is called the book of Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of 



OF PRE-CHRISTIAN JUDAISM 5 

Sirach. 1 There is no Messianic prophecy in the book 
of Ecclesiastes. We could hardly expect any in Eccle- 
siasticus. " It represents an orthodox but moderate and 
cold Judaism, before there were either Pharisees or 
Sadducees." 2 

There are, however, in the section on the ancient 
worthies, several passages referring to the ancient cove- 
nants with their Messianic ideals. Those mentioned 
are the covenants with Noah, 3 Abraham, 4 Aaron, 5 Phine- 
has, 6 David. 7 And there is an important passage which 
seems to set forth the author's own Messianic ideal. 
In a long eulogy of Elijah he refers to the prediction of 
Malachi respecting Elijah, which he paraphrases : 

Who wast written of in reproofs for set times, 

To pacify wrath before rage, 

To turn the heart of father to son, 

And to restore the tribes of Jacob. 

Blessed is he that hath seen thee and died. 

Yet he will not die, he will fully live. 8 

(xlviii. io-n.) 

The Syriac paraphrases the first line " who is destined 
to come before the day of the Lord cometh," and gives 
the correct interpretation. Elijah was to come before 



1 The book was composed in Hebrew and translated into Greek by the grand- 
son of the author. There is also a Syriac version from a Hebrew original, and 
many other versions have been translated from these. The translations only 
have been preserved, but these help to restore the Hebrew original. Authori- 
ties differ as to the time of composition of the book. It is assigned to 180 B.C. 
by De Wette, Ewald, Dillmann, Drummond, and Cheyne. But Scholtz, Vai- 
hinger, and Keil place it as early as 260 B.C. Edersheim conjectures that the 
original work was written about 235 B.C., Schurer puts it between 190 and 170 B.C. 

2 Edersheim, Ecclesiasticus in Apocrypha, ii., p. 2. London, 1888. 

3 xliv. 18. 4 xliv. 21-23. 6 x ' v - 1' 8 x ^ v - 2 4- 7 xl v - 2 5 \ x ' v »- IT - 

e I agree with Edersheim in preference for the Syriac text of lines 5 and 6, 
which is more consistent than the Greek, and which gives better rhythm and fine 
antithesis. 






(5 THE MESSIAH 

the day of the Lord, the judgment day. He was taken 
up in a chariot and whirlwind of fire to heaven. He 
will return to accomplish his predicted mission, and that 
man will be happy who has the privilege of seeing him 
before he dies. He will enjoy the fulness of life. 

The first book of Maccabees ' knows nothing more of 
the Messianic idea than the ancient promises of the 
everlasting priesthood of Phinehas and the everlasting 
kingdom of David. 2 The story of Judith 3 brings into 
prominence the day of judgment. In her song of thanks- 
giving Judith concludes with these words : 

Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred ! 

The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the day of 

judgment, 
Putting fire and worms into their flesh 
And they will feel them and weep forever. 4 

It is evident that the author has in mind the judgment 
scene of the great prophet of the exile, 5 the rotting, burn- 
ing carcasses of the wicked outside the holy city in the 
valley of Hinnom. 6 

The second book of Maccabees 7 has no trace of the 
Messianic idea except in the expectation of the fulfilment 



1 The first book of Maccabees was written in Hebrew and translated into 
Greek. It is assigned by Ewald to 105 B.C., by Grimm to 105-64 B.C., by West- 
cott to 120-100 B.C., by Rawlinson to 116-106 B.C. 

2 ii- 54, 57- 

3 The book of Judith was written by a Palestinian Jew in Hebrew and was 
translated into Greek. The translation only has been preserved. The date is 
uncertain. It is assigned to 79-70 B.C. by Ball, to 131-129 B.C. by Ewald. 

4 xvi. 17. 6 Isaiah Ixvi. 24. 

« Ball renders the last line on the partial authority of Vulgate and Syriac, 
" burn in evil forever." 

7 This is an epitome of a larger work written in Greek by Jason of Cyrene, 
not long after 160 B.C. This work was also written in Greek not much later 
than the original. It is assigned by critics to the latter part of the second cen- 
tury or the first half of the first century B.C. 



OF PRE-CHRISTIAN JUDAISM f 

of the promise : " He will shortly have mercy upon us, 
and gather us together out of every land under heaven 
into the holy place." ' 

Tobit, 8 in his prayer, praises the Lord in His prom- 
ises respecting the glorious future of Jerusalem : 

O Jerusalem ! city of the Holy One, 3 

He will scourge thee for thy children's works, 

And will have mercy again on the sons of the just. 

Praise the Lord aright, 4 

And bless the king of the ages, 

In order that his tabernacle maybe built in thee again with joy, 

And to make joyful the captives in thee, 

And to love the miserable in thee, 

Unto all generations of the age. 

Many nations from afar will come 

Unto the name of the Lord God, 

Having gifts in their hands, 

Even gifts to the king of heaven. 

Generations of generations will give thee great joy. 

Cursed will be all who hate thee ; 

Blessed will be all who love thee (for ever). 

Rejoice and be glad for the sons of the just, 

Fcr they will be gathered together and bless the Lord of the 

just. 
O blessed are those who love thee, 
They will rejoice in thy peace. 
Blessed are they who have been sorrowful for all thy scourges ; 



i ii. iS. 

2 The book of Tobit was written by a Palestinian Jew in Hebrew. The 
original has been lost and only translations are preserved. Great differences 
exist among critics as to its time of composition. Graetz, Neubauer, and Rosen- 
thal ascribe it to the time of Hadrian. It is assigned by Ewald to the fourth 
century B.C., by Fuller to the second century B.C., by Vaihinger to the first cen- 
tury B.C. It may be appropriately used in this place so far as the Messianic idea 
is concerned. 

3 The LXX. -6/ic ay'iov sustained by the Vulgate civitas Dei is better than 
the " holy city" of A. V. after the Itala. 

4 dyadug of the LXX. is sustained by the Vulgate in bonis tuis, and the Itala 
in bono, and is preferable to the variant u~i iiyaQoq. 






3 THE MESSIAH 

For they will rejoice in thee when they have seen all thy glory, 

And my soul will be glad forever. 1 

Let it bless God the great king. 

For Jerusalem will be buih (up) with sapphires and emeralds, 

And thy walls with precious stones, 

And thy towers and battlements with pure gold, 

And the streets of Jerusalem with beryl and carbuncle, 

And with stone of Ophir they will be paved ; 

And all her streets will say Alleluia, 

And will praise, saying, Blessed be God, 

Who hath exalted her for all ages. (xiii. 9-18.) 

This prayer of Tobit combines elements from the 
Old Testament prophets, especially from the great 
prophet of the exile. 2 

Tobit on the bed of death encourages his son with 
the Messianic promise: 

And again God will have mercy upon them, 

And bring them again into the land ; 

And they will build the house, not as the former, 

Until the times of the ages be fulfilled ; 

And afterward they will return from their captivities, 

And will build Jerusalem gloriously; 

And the house of God in it will be built gloriously, 

As the prophets have spoken thereof ; 

And all nations will turn 

To truly fear the Lord God, 

And they will bury their idols ; 

And all nations will bless the Lord, 

And his people will confess God ; 

And the Lord will exalt his people, 

And all who love the Lord God 

Will rejoice in truth and righteousness, 

Shewing mercy to their brethren, (xiv. 5-7.) 

This passage does not go beyond the predictions of 



1 V i' v XV l bLnv belongs with this line rather than the following, and the singular 
EV<ppavdJ/oeTai of several codices is preferable. 

2 Isaiah liv. 11-12 ; lx. 1-3. 









OF THE APOCALYPSE OF ENOCH 9 

the prophets as to the restoration of Israel and Jerusa- 
lem. It distinguishes, however, between a partial return 
and an inferior temple, and a complete return and a glo- 
rious temple such as the prophets have predicted. The 
author clearly saw that the temple of Zerubbabel and 
the return in the times of the Persians did not corre- 
spond with the ideals of the prophets. 

THE ADVENT OF THE APOCALYPSE OF ENOCH. 

§ 2. God comes to Mount Sinai with myriads of holy 
ones to hold judgment. The earth will be transformed, 
the wicked destroyed, the righteous blessed. The righteous 
will eat and drink and beget each a thousand children. 
The earth will become exceedingly fruitful and will be 
free from misery. 

The book of Enoch was written originally in Hebrew. 
It has been preserved in part in a Greek revision, but 
chiefly in an Ethiopic version, which was first given to 
the modern world by Laurence. It has an original 
nucleus about which several writings have clustered, the 
remnants of a larger literature assigned to Enoch. The 
two chief parts are the Similitudes, ch. xxxvii.-lxxi., and 
the Apocalypse, ch. i.-xxxvi., lxxii.-civ., by different au- 
thors. Ewald and Dillmann give the priority to the Sim- 
ilitudes, placing them in the second century B.C., and 
assigning the Apocalypse to the latter part of the same 
century, or the earlier part of the first century B.C. 
But Langen, Schurer, and most critics assign the Simili- 
tudes to the close of the first century B.C., and regard 
the Apocalypse as older. 1 



1 Vernes, however, places them in the Christian era, and thinks the Apoca- 
lypse belongs to the time of John Hyrcanus, no B.C. Schodde assigns the 
Apocalypse to a time prior to 160 B.C., and the Similitudes to the reign of 
Herod. 



10 THE MESSIAH 

Charles ' analyzes as follows : i. Chaps, i.-xxxvi. writ- 
ten prior to 170 B.C., on the basis of Is. lxv.-lxvi., the 
oldest section. 2. Chaps, ixxxiii.-xc. written between 
166-161 B.C., mainly from the same standpoint as Daniel. 
3. Chaps, xci.-civ. written between 134-94 B.C., or pos- 
sibly, 104-94 B.C. 4. The Similitudes, chaps, xxxvii.- 
lxx., written between 94-79 or 70-64 B.C. 5. The book 
of Celestial Physics, chaps, lxxii.-lxxviii., lxxxii., lxxix., 
date unknown. 6. Noachian and other interpolations, 
before the Christian era, chiefly from an older Noachian 
apocalypse. 2 We cannot go into the details of the 
criticism. It is sufficient for our purpose to distinguish 
the parts containing the Messianic material. It seems 
to be evident that the Similitudes were earlier than the 
Psalter of Solomon, and that they were later than the 
other sections of the book. 

The Apocalypse opens with a judgment scene which is 
based on the theophany described in the Blessing of 
Moses. 3 

Concerning the elect I spake, and uttered a parable concern- 
ing them. The Holy and Great One, the God of the world, will 
come from His abode. And from there He will step on Mount 
Sinai and appear with His hosts, and appear in the strength of 
His power from heaven. And all will fear and the watchers will 
tremble, and great fear and terror will seize them unto the ends 
of the earth. And the lofty mountains will be shaken and the 
high hills will sink down, and will melt like wax before the 
flame. And the earth will sink down and everything that is on 
the earth will be destroyed, and there will be a judgment upon 
everything, and upon all the righteous. But to the righteous 
He will give peace and will protect the elect, and mercy will abide 



1 Book of Enoch, p. 26 seq. 1893. 

2vi.3-3; viii 1-3; ix. 7; x. 1-3,11 ; xvii.-xx.; xxxix. 1,2a; xli. 3-8; xliii.- 
xliv. ; liv. 7-lv. 2; lvi. 5— lvii. 3a; 1., lix.-lx. ; lxv.-lxix. 25; lxxi. ; lxxx.-lxxxi. ; 
xc. 15; xci. 11; xciii. 11-14; xcvi. 2; cv.-cvii. 

3 Deut. xxxiii. 2. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF ENOCH \\ 

over them, and they will all belong to God, and will be prosperous 
and blessed, and the light of God will shine upon them. And 
behold, He comes with myriads of His holy ones to hold judg- 
ment upon them, and He will destroy the ungodly, and will 
call all flesh to account for everything the sinners and ungodly 
have done and ungodly committed against Him. 1 (i. 3-9.) 

The judgment is a theophany of God which throws all 
nature into convulsions, and mankind and angels into 
terror. Mount Sinai is the place of judgment. The 
earth will be transformed at the advent. All will be 
judged, the righteous will be rewarded, and the wicked 
will be destroyed. 

The Apocalypse also gives an account of the judg- 
ment of the angels who seduced the daughters of men. 2 
They are bound under the earth for seventy genera- 
tions until the day of their final judgment, the last judg- 
ment for all eternity. In those days they will be led 
away into the fiery abyss. In misery and prison they 
will be shut up for all eternity. 3 

And then will all the righteous escape and remain in life until 
they beget a thousand children, and all the days of their youth 
and their sabbath will they accomplish in peace. And in those 
days the entire earth will be cultivated in righteousness and will 
all be planted with trees, and will be full of blessings. And all 
the trees of pleasure will be planted on it, and vines will be 
planted on it. The vine planted on it will bear fruit in abun- 
dance, and from all the seeds sown thereon, one measure will 
give ten thousand, and one measure of olives will give ten presses 
of oil. 4 And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from 
all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness, 
and from all uncleanness which is wrought upon the earth : 
destroy them from off the earth. And all the children of men 
will become righteous, and all nations will offer me adoration and 
praise, and all will worship me. And the earth will be cleansed 

1 Quoted Jude 14-15. 2 Gen. vi. 1-4. 

3 Enoch x. 12, 13; cf. Is. xxiv. 21, 22. * cf. Is. lxv. 20-25. 






12 THE MESSIAH 

from all corruption and from all sin and from all punishment 
and all misery, 1 and I will never again send a deluge upon it 
from generation to generation for ever. (x. 17-22.) 

The author connects the judgment of the deluge with 
the ultimate judgment after the manner of the ancient 
prophets. Charles thinks that the reference to the deluge 
comes from a corrupt MS., but he does not present suffi- 
cient evidence for his opinion. The doctrine of future 
blessedness is based on the representation of Isaiah and 
the great prophet of the exile, but is less refined and less 
spiritual in conception. 

This is all that we have of the Messianic idea in this 
earliest section of the Apocalypse, and it is essentially 
true to the Old Testament idea. A later section of the 
Apocalypse is richer in material. 

THE SEVENTY SHEPHERDS. 

§ 3. God will set up His throne in Jerusalem and judge 
evil angels and wicked men, casting them successively into 
the abyss of fire. The Messiah appears at the head of 
His people. They are white sheep ; he a white bull. The 
old temple is removed and a new and more glorious one 
put in its place. The sheep are transformed into cattle 
and the Messiah into a gigantic yore ox. Israel will be 
honored and obeyed by all nations. 

Seventy shepherds have charge of the flock of Israel 
from the destruction of Jerusalem until the judgment, 
when they are cast into the abyss of fire. These are 
subdivided into 12 + 23 + 23 + 12, 2 after the model of the 
seventy weeks of Daniel 7 + 62 -+- I. 3 They are regarded 
by Ewald and others as representing heathen monarchs 
who held Israel under their dominion. But Hoffman, 



Is. xi. 6-9. » Chap, lxxxix. 59 seq. Dan. ix. 25-27. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF ENOCH 13 

Schiirer, Charles, and others rightly hold that they are 
angel princes, after the method of the angel princes of 
Daniel J and the Septuagint version of the Song of Moses, 2 
because the heathen monarchs are represented as beasts 
in the context. The judgment is described as follows. 

A throne was set up in the lovely land and the Lord 
of the sheep sat down thereon, and all the sealed books 
were opened before the Lord of the sheep. The judg- 
ment was first upon the stars [the evil angels] ; they are 
found guilty and are sent unto the place of punishment, 
and are cast into a deep place full of flaming fire and 
pillars of fire. Then the seventy shepherds (the evil 
angel princes) are judged and found guilty, and also cast 
into that fiery abyss. Then a similar deep place in the 
middle of the earth was opened full of fire, and the 
blinded sheep (wicked men) were brought together and 
all judged and found guilty and cast into that fiery abyss 
and burned. 3 This abyss was at the right of the house 
(the temple), just as in the great prophet of the exile 
Gehenna is the place of refuse outside the city.* 

And I saw the sheep burning and their bones burning. And 
I stood up in order to see until he wrapt up that old house, and 
removed all its pillars ; and all its beams and decorations were 
at once rolled up with it, and it was taken away and put in a 
place in the south of the land. And I saw the lord of the sheep 
until he brought a new house greater and higher than that first 
one, and put it in the place of the first that had been rolled up. 
All its pillars were new, and its decorations were new and larger 
than those of the first house which he had taken away, and the 
lord of the sheep was therein. And I saw all the sheep that re- 
mained over, and all the beasts of the earth, and all the birds of 
heaven, how they fell down and sought the favour of those 
sheep and supplicated them and obeyed them in everything, 
(xc. 27-30.) 






Dan. xii. 1. 2 Deut. xxxii. 8. 3 ::c. 20-26. «Is. lxvi. 24. 



14 THE MESSIAH 

Those sheep were all white and their wool large and 
pure. The Messiah now appears. 1 He was born a white 
bull with great horns, and all the beasts of the field and 
all the birds of heaven fear and supplicate him at all 
times. All the sheep are at last transformed into white 
oxen, and the first of them becomes a great animal, 
probably a gigantic bull 2 having large black horns upon 
his head, and the lord of the sheep rejoices over them. 
The Messiah has little place in this prediction and little 
to do. The Messianic idea is more external and carnal 
than in the Similitudes. This is still more the case in 
the sections relating to the corruption of the earth 
through the intercourse of fallen angels with the daugh- 
ters of mankind now to be considered. 3 

THE TEN AGES. 

§ 4. The duration of the world is divided into ten peri- 
ods of sevens, the last three of which are times of advanc- 
ing judgment. In the first of these the wicked are given 
into the hands of the righteous, in the seco?td there is a 
righteous judgment of the entire world and the banish- 
ment of evil from the earth. In the tenth week the evil 
angels are judged with the judgment for eternity ; the 
old heavens vanish and new heavens appear with lumina- 
ries shining with sevenfold brilliancy. Then will follow 
innumerable periods of righteousness. 

The book of Enoch contains a little apocalypse, xci.- 
xciv., that has been interpolated by a later writer or 
editor in the original apocalypse. The editor has de- 



1 Chap. xc. 32 seq. 

2 The Greek pfj/xa is certainly alien to the context. It would introduce a het- 
erogeneous and later conception. It is probably a translation of the Hebrew 
DK") the gigantic bull of the Old Testament, the yore ox. 

3 Charles puts this with the earlier apocalypse. 






OF THE APOCALYPSE OF ENOCH 15 

tached xci. 12-17 from its proper place after xciii. and 
attached it to xci. I— II. The author of this apocalypse, 
assigned by Charles to 104-95 B.C., differs from the 
earlier authors in his more comprehensive view of human 
history and its close in a series of judgments. He divides 
the duration of the world into ten weeks of seven gen- 
erations each, seven of these weeks belonging to the past 
and three to the future. These three weeks of judgment 
are thus described : 

And afterwards will be another week, the eighth, that of 
righteousness, and there will be given a sword in order that with 
it judgment and justice may be executed on those who act vio- 
lently, and sinners will be given over into the hands of the right- 
eous. And at its close they will acquire houses by their right- 
eousness, and the house of the great king will be built in glory 
forever and ever. And afterwards in the ninth week will be 
revealed the righteous judgment of the entire world, and all the 
works of the ungodly will vanish away from the entire earth, and 
the world will be written down for destruction, and all men will 
seek the way of righteousness. And after this, in the tenth 
week, in the seventh part, there will be the great judgment for 
eternity, which will be held over the watchers. And the former 
heaven will vanish and pass away and a new heaven will appear, 
and all the powers of heaven will shine forever with sevenfold 
brilliancy. And afterwards there will be many weeks without 
number forever in goodness and righteousness, and sin will be 
no more named forever, (xci. 12-17.) 

We notice in this author the absence of the Messiah. 
He makes the distinction of three judgments, the first 
of wicked men, the second of the entire world, and the 
third of angels. The seventy sacred times are viewed 
as embracing the whole course of the world. This differs 
from the sacred times of Daniel and the earlier Enoch, 1 
and is more in accord with Persian religious ideas. 






lxxxix. 59 seg. 



16 THE MESSIAH 

The Persians divided the course of the world into 
twelve thousand years, arranged in four periods of three 
thousand years each. The first three millenniums were 
given to the creation, so that but nine thousand years 
belong to the course of the world proper. After the 
expiration of the nine thousand years evil would be en- 
tirely conquered. Three thousand of these belonged to 
the golden time, three thousand to the great struggle 
with evil, lasting until the time of Zoroaster and his rev- 
elation. Three thousand years, or the last quarter, is 
the time of redemption. The final redeemer, Sosiosh, 
at the close of the nine thousand years has two prede- 
cessors, one the prophet Hushedar coming in the sev- 
enth millennium, the other the prophet Hushedarmah 
coming in the eighth millennium to destroy idolatry and 
reform the world, so that Sosiosh may at last come for 
the universal resurrection and judgment. 1 

Our author's conception of the last three times is very 
much like these last three times of the Persians, except 
that the redemptive persons are not brought in. 

THE EARLIEST SIBYLLINE ORACLE. 

§ 5. The kings of the nations will come up with great 
masses against Jerusalem, but a judgment from God, with 
fiery swords and great torches falling from heaven and 
great earthquakes, will come upon them and destroy them. 
Afterwards there will be everlasting peace and felicity. 
The earth will become very fruitful and enmity between 
men and animals will cease. 

The Sibylline oracles are a collection of oracles of dif- 
ferent periods ; but it is agreed that the body of the 



1 Hulschmann, Die Parsische Lehre vo?i Jeiizeits J. Prot. Theo., 1879, H> 
H. Spiegel Parsimus in Herzog, Real Ency. II. Aufl. 






OF THE EARLIEST SIBYLLINE ORACLE jf 

third book is the earliest of all. It gives an apocalypse 
of the second century B.C. 1 

The passage first to be considered is doubtful as to its 
Messianic bearings : 

Therefore seven decades shall thy fruitful land 

And the wonders of the temple be a waste. 

And yet for thee a goodly end remains, 

And highest glory from the immortal God. 

But wait thou, and confide in God's pure laws, 

When to the light he lifts thy wearied knee. 

And then will God send out of heaven a king 

To judge each man in blood and light of fire. 

There is a royal tribe, whose progeny 

Shall be unfailing, and in course of time 

Will it rule, and God's temple build anew. 

And all the kings of Persia will assist 

With gold and brass and well-wrought iron, and God 

Himself will give by night the holy dream, 

And then the temple shall be as of old. 2 (331-345). 

This passage is referred by Hilgenfeld, Vernes, Schiirer, 
and Terry to Cyrus, on account of the mention of the 
temple and the Persian kings ; but it is difficult to see 
the propriety of representing Cyrus as a king from 
heaven and as executing judgment by fire. This repre- 



1 It is admitted that this third book belongs to the second century B.C. Hilgen- 

Ifeld, Schiirer, Vernes, assign it to 140 B.C.; Bleek and Friedlieb give it the ear- 
lier date of 170-160 B.C.; Ewald 124 B.C.; Alexandre finds the date 168 for the 
section iii. 97-294, 489-817, but assigns the middle section 295-488 to a Christian 
author. The middle section is a collection of miscellaneous oracles, but Schiirer 
sees no reason for a different author. There is no Messianic passage in them, 
and therefore we have no occasion to discuss this question. The oracle was 
composed by an Alexandrine Jew, who puts the prediction in the mouth of the 
Erythraean sibyl. See Alexandre, Oracula Sifiyllina, Paris, 1841 ; Friedlieb, 
Oracula Sibyllina, Leipsic, 1852 ; Terry, The Sibylline Oracles, N. Y., 1890. 
2 The translation of Terry is so good that I prefer to use it, especially as it 
gives the English reader some conception of the poetry of the original. The 
lines of Terry differ so slightly from the original that it seems unnecessary to 






18 THE MESSIAH 

sentation is only in part justified by the exilic Isaiah. 1 
The seventy times may be referred to the sacred weeks 
of Daniel, 2 or to the years of Jeremiah. 3 The king from 
heaven, if not Cyrus and if Messianic,* would be the Son 
of Man from heaven of Daniel. 6 

Woes are pronounced upon all nations in turn after 
the manner of the great prophets. The woes come upon 
Babylon, Egypt, Gog and Magog of the older prophecy; 
and also upon various cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and 
Italy, even Troy ; and upon Homer, " the writer of lies," 
who is accused of appropriating the verses of the sibyl. 

A great passionate king like an eagle, doubtless An- 
tiochus Epiphanes, will come out of Asia, lay waste 
the holy land, overthrow Egypt, and even cross the sea. 
All the works of men's hands will fall by the flame of 
fire. 

And then great joy will God bestow on men. 
For land and trees, and countless flocks of sheep 
Will yield mankind the genuine fruit of wine, 
And of sweet honey, and white milk, and wheat, 
Which is for men the very best of alt. (738-743.) 

The future blessedness subsequent to judgment is 
connected with Antiochus very much as in Daniel. 8 

Then will God send a king from the sun, who will 
make the entire earth still from wicked war, will slay 
some and make a true covenant with others. 

But again the people 
Of the great God with wealth will be weighed down, 
With gold and silver and purple ornament, 
And of good things will earth and sea be full. (782-784.) 

This king from the sunrise resembles the king from 



1 Is. xliv. 28; xlv. 1-4. 2 Dan. ix. 24-27. s J e r. xxv.9-12. 

4 The Messianic reference attracted me for many years. But it now seems to 
me that the context favors reference to Cyrus. 
6 Dan. vii. 13. s Dan. ix. 26, 27 ; xii. 11-13. 






OF THE EARLIEST SIBYLLINE ORACLE 19 

heaven already considered, and seems to be Cyrus like- 
wise. 1 The prosperity here is similar to the prosperity 
described there. 

This is followed by a description of the kings of the 
nations coming up with great masses against the temple 
of God and the holy land, when a judgment from the 
great God comes upon them and they are destroyed. 

And fiery swords 
Shall fall from heaven on earth, and mighty lights 
Shall come down flaming in the midst of men. 
And mother earth shall be tossed in those days 
By an immortal hand, and fish of the sea, 
And all earth's beasts, and countless flocks of birds, 
And all the souls of men, and all the sea 
Shall shudder at the face of the Immortal, 
And there shall be dismay. High mountain peaks 
And huge hills He will rend, and Erebus 
The dark and dismal will appear to all ; 
And misty gorges in the lofty hill 
Shall be full of the dead ; the rocks shall stream 
With blood, and every torrent fill the plain. 
And well-built walls shall all fall to the earth 
By hostile men, for they knew not the law, 
Neither God's judgment, but with senseless soul, 
All rushing to the temple, lifted spears. 
God judges all by war, and sword, and fire, 
And overwhelming flood ; and there shall be 
Brimstone from heaven, and stones and grievous hail ; a 
And death shall come upon the quadrupeds. 
Then shall men come to know the immortal God 
"Who judges these things. Lamentation too, 
And uproar shall come on the boundless earth, 
Because men perish, and in speechless woe 
Shall all be bathed in blood, and earth herself 
Shall drink the blood of them that are destroyed, 
And the wild beasts will glut themselves with flesh. 
(800-828.) 






1 Lines 331-345- 8 Ezek. xxxviii. 22. 



20 THE MESSIAH 



Again the children of the mighty God 

Shall all about the temple live in peace, 

Delighting in those things which He shall give 

Who is Creator, righteous Judge, and King. 

For He alone, and standing wondrous near, 

Can shelter as a wall of flaming fire ' 

From all around. And there shall be no wars 

In cities or in country ; not the hand 

Of cruel war, 2 but rather there shall be 

With them the immortal Champion Himself, 

And the hand of the Holy One. And then the isles 

And cities all shall speak, and tell how much 

The Immortal loves those men, for He with them 

Shares in all conflict and delivers them. 

And heaven, and sun divinely formed, and moon, 

And mother earth shall tremble in those days. 

And a sweet word shall they lead forth in hymns : 

" Come, falling on the earth let us all pray 

To the immortal King, great God, most high. 

Let us send to the temple, since sole Lord 

He is, and let us all observe the law 

Of God most high, who above all on earth 

Is the most Righteous One. For we have strayed 

Far from the path of the Immortal One, 

And have done reverence with a senseless soul 

To works of human hands, to images 

Carved out of wood, and of departed men." 

These things souls of the faithful cry aloud : 

" Come, let us with God's people, falling down 

Upon our faces, gladden in our homes 

With hymns God the Creator, and procure 

The weapons of our foes in every land 

For seven lengths of the revolving years — 3 

Even shields and helmets and all sorts of arms, 

And a great store of bows and harmful arrows, 

For forest wood shall not be cut for fire " (834-869). 

For earth, all-mother, shall to mortals yield 
The best fruit, boundless store of wheat, 



1 Zee. ii. 5. a M»c. iv. 3. 8 Ezek. xxxix. 9, 10, 



OF THE EAKLIEST SIBYLLINE ORACLE 21 

And wine and oil. And from the heaven a drink, 

Delightful of sweet honey there shall be, 

And trees, and fruits of trees, and fatted sheep, 

And oxen, and young lambs, and kids of goats. 

And forth shall burst sweet fountains of white milk, 

And of good things the cities shall be full, 

And fat the fields, and there shall not be sword 

Nor uproar on the earth, nor shall the earth 

Groan heavily and tremble any more. 

Nor war nor drought shall longer be on earth, 

Nor famine, nor the fruit-destroying hail, 

But great peace shall be upon all the earth. 1 

King will be friend to king until the end 

Of time, and a new law on all the earth 

Will the Immortal in the starry heaven 

Perfect for men, touching whatever things 

Have been by miserable mortals done. 

For He alone is God, no other is, 

And He will burn with fire man's grievous power. 

(885-905). 
And then will He a kingdom for all time 
Raise up for all men, and a holy law 
Give to the pious to whom He has pledged 
To open up the land, and the wide world, 
And portals of the blessed, and all joys, 
And mind immortal, and eternal bliss. 
And out of every land unto the house 
Of the great God will they bring frankincense 2 
And gifts, and there shall be no other house 
To be inquired of by men yet to be ; 
But whom God gave to honor faithful men, 
Him mortals shall call Son of the great God. 
And all paths of the field and rough hills, 
And lofty mountains, and the sea's wild waves, 
Shall in those days be easy to pass over, 
For all peace of the good shall come on earth. 
And the sword shall God's prophets take away, 
For they shall be the judges of mankind, 






1 Ps. xlvi. 9. 2 Ps. lxviii. 29 ; Is. Ixvi. 20 ; Zeph. iii. 9-10. 



22 THE MESSIAH 

And righteous kings ; for of the mighty God 
This is the judgment and the sovereignty. 

Be of good cheer, O maiden, and exult, 1 
For the Eternal, who made heaven and earth, 
Has given thee joy, and He will dwell in thee, 
And for thee shall be an immortal light. 2 
And wolves and lambs promiscuously shall eat 
Grass in the mountains, and among the kids 
Shall leopards graze, and wandering bears shall lodge 
Among the calves, and the carnivorous lion 
Shall eat straw in the manger like the ox, 
And little children lead them with a band. 
For tame will be on earth the beasts He made, 
And with young babes will dragons fall asleep, 
And no harm, for God's hand will be on them. 3 

Now tell I thee a sign exceeding clear, 
That thou mayst know when of all things on earth 
The end shall be. When in the starry heaven 
Swords shall be seen by night toward west or east, 
Straightway shall there be a dark cloud of dust, 
Borne downward from the heaven o'er all the earth, 
And the sun's brightness in the midst of heaven 
Shall be eclipsed, and the moon's beams appear 
And come again on earth, and there shall be 
The sign of blood-drops issuing from the stones, 
And ye shall see a war of foot and horse 
In a cloud, like a hunting of wild beasts, 
Like a dark mist. This is the end of war 
Which God who dwells in heaven shall bring to pass. 
But all must sacrifice to the great King. (912-959.) 

These representations are based upon many different 
prophetic passages of the Old Testament ; but they are 
combined and developed in a manner foreign to the con- 
ceptions of genuine Biblical prophecy. The ethical and 
spiritual elements, which in the canonical prophets ever 
predominate, here retire into the background and are 



Zech. ii. 10. 2 Is. lx. 1, 2, 19, 20. 3 Is. xi. 6-9 ; lxv. 25. 



OF THE SIMILITUDES OF ENOCH 23 

overshadowed by the sensuous and carnal elements 
which are richly unfolded in the foreground of the 
poet's imagination and fancy. There is no clear refer- 
ence to a Messianic king or prophet to introduce this 
golden age of sensuous pleasure. God Himself is the 
judge and the king, who destroys all enemies and rewards 
His people with felicity. The author was an Alexan- 
drian Jew who wrote his poem in Hellenistic Greek, but 
he is not a Hellenist in his type of thought. He is a 
Palestinian Jew who is hostile to all that is Greek, and 
who looks forward with delight and ardent longing for 
the triumph of the Jew over the world. 

THE SON OF MAN OF THE SIMILITUDES OF ENOCH. 

§ 6. The Similitudes of the Book of Enoch present the 
Messiah as the Elect, the Son of Man, full of grace as a 
holy angel, the righteous possessor of the treasures of 
wisdom. He was named before the sun and stars were 
made, and was concealed before God ere the world was 
created, and he will abide before Him forever. He will 
sit enthroned at His side in judgment. The dead will rise 
to be judged, and he will select the righteous to be saved 
and to dwell upon the earth with joy ; but the wicked will 
be forced from his presence into shame and darkness, and 
will be committed to the angels of punishment. 

The Similitudes of the Book of Enoch differ from the 
other parts of the Book of Enoch in the prominence 
given to the person of the Son of Man and in the com- 
parative purity of the Messianic idea. We shall first 
consider chap. xlv. 3-6. 

On that day Mine Elect One will sit on the throne of glory 
and make selection among their deeds and their mansions will 
be innumerable, and their souls will grow strong within them 
when they see Mine Elect One and those who call upon my 






24 THE MESSIAH 

glorious name. And on that, day will I cause Mine Elect One 
to dwell among them and I will transform the heaven and make 
it an everlasting blessing and light. And I will transform the 
earth and make it a blessing, and cause mine elect ones to 
dwell on it. But the sinners and evil doers will not tread it. 
For I have seen and satisfied my righteous ones with peace, and 
have caused them to dwell before me ; but for sinners there 
awaits a judgment with me that I may destroy them from the 
face of the earth. 

This passage brings to mind the prediction of the 
great prophet of the exile. 1 The Elect One sits on the 
judgment throne in the day of judgment. The heavens 
and the earth are transformed and give place to new 
heavens and a new earth of blessedness and light, the 
everlasting abode of the righteous. The wicked are 
driven from the face of this new earth upon which there 
will be no more sin. The Elect One is the first and the 
chief of all the elect from among men. He is the judge 
and the king by divine choke and selection, the Elect 
Head of an elect kingdom of the redeemed. The term 
elect, chosen, is applied to the servant of Yahweh, the 
one anointed with the divine Spirit, the covenant of the 
people and the light of the Gentiles, the gentle re- 
deemer, of the great prophet of the exile. 2 The author 
of the Similitudes probably derived the term Elect One 
from that passage, as he shows great familiarity with and 
preference for this prophet. 

The next passage is an unfolding of the judgment 
scene of the Apocalypse of Daniel. 

And there I saw one who had a Head of Days, and his head 
was white as wool, and with Him another whose face was as the 
appearance of a man, and his face was full of grace like one of 
the holy angels. And I asked the angel who went with me and 
showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, 

1 Is. lxv.-vi. 2 Is. xlii. i seq. 



OF THE SIMILITUDES OF ENOCH 25 

who he was, and whence he was, and why he went with the Head 
of Days ? And he answered and said unto me : This is the Son 
of Man who has righteousness, with whom righteousness dwells, 
and who reveals all the treasures of that which is hidden ; for 
the Lord of Spirits has chosen him, and his lot hath surpassed 
all things before the Lord of Spirits in rectitude forever. And 
this Son of Man whom thou hast seen will arouse the kings and 
mighty ones from their beds and the powerful from their thrones, 
and will loose the bands of the powerful and crush the teeth of 
sinners. And he will cast the kings out from their thrones and 
kingdoms, because they exalt him not and praise him not, and 
do not thankfully acknowledge whence the kingdom was given 
them. And the face of the powerful will be cast away and 
shame will cover them ; darkness will be their dwelling and 
worms their couch, and they will have no hope of rising from 
their couches because they did not exalt the name of the Lord 
of Spirits, (xlvi. 1-6.) 

The Head of Days is the Ancient of Days of Daniel 
and is the God of judgment. The Son of Man is the 
Son of Man of Daniel. 1 This name is here given to a 
righteous man and not to Israel. The terms of the pun- 
ishment are derived from the great prophet of the exile 
as well as from Daniel, for shame 2 and darkness and 
worms 3 are used, and not the river of fire. The use of 
the Elect One, the Servant of Yahweh of the exilic 
Isaiah, and of the Son of Man of Daniel and their refer- 
ence to the same Messianic person enthroned with the 
Head of Days for judgment, involves a combination of 
these two Messianic ideals. This combination was not 
made in the Old Testament. It is a genuine combina- 
tion first made by these Similitudes of Enoch and after- 
wards recognized in the New Testament. It may be 
that this combination influenced Jesus in His use of the 
Son of Man for Himself. 4 

1 Dan. vii. 13. ■ Dan. xii. a. s l s . lxvi. 24. 

4 See Charles, Book of £noc//, pp. 312 seq. 



% 



26 THE MESSIAH 

The next passage follows Daniel more closely : 

And in those days I saw the Head of Days, as He seated Him- 
self on the throne of His glory, and the books of the living were 
opened before Him, 1 and His entire host above in heaven and 
round about Him, stood before Him. And the hearts of the 
holy ones were full of joy that the number of righteousness 
was fulfilled, and the prayer of the righteous was heard and 
the blood of the righteous demanded before the Lord of 
Spirits. And in that place I saw an inexhaustible fountain 
of righteousness, round about it many fountains of wisdom, 
and all the thirsty drank of them 2 and were filled with wisdom, 
and had their dwellings among the righteous and holy and 
elect. And at that hour that Son of Man was named in the 
presence of the Lord of Spirits and his name before the 
Head of Days. And ere the sun and signs were created, 
ere the stars of heaven were made, was his name named 
before the Lord of Spirits. He will be a staff to the righteous 
that they may lean on him and not fall, and he will be the light 
of the peoples and the hope of those who are troubled in their 
hearts. 3 There will fall down and worship before him all who 
dwell on earth, and will praise and glorify and sing to the name 
of the Lord of Spirits. And for this was he elected and con- 
cealed before Him ere the world was created, and unto eternity 
will he be before Him. (xlvii. 3 — xlviii. 6.) 

In this passage the author dwells on the judgment 
throne, the books of judgment and the person of the 
Son of Man. The doctrine of the naming of the con- 
cealed Son of Man before the creation is new to the 
Messianic idea, but it is based on a combination of the 
Son of Man coming from heaven of Daniel, 4 and the 
ruler from Bethlehem whose going forth was from 
ancient times of Micah. 5 

The naming of the Son of Man before the heavenly 
hosts is an unfolding of the doctrine of his election, and 
does not imply any more than an ideal pre-existence in 

1 Dan. vii. 9-10 ; xii. 1. 2 Is. lv. 1. 3 Is. xlii. 6; xlix. 6. 

4 Dan. vii. 13. 6 Mic. v. 2. 



OF THE SIMILITUDES OF ENOCH 27 

the plan or the decree of God. This would be only a 
strengthened statement of the doctrine of Micah. But 
the concealment of the Son of Man is stronger than this. 
It implies some sort of pre-existence of the Son of Man 
with God and the angels before the creation of the 
world. The conception of Daniel that the Son of Man 
comes from heaven on the clouds implies his pre-exist- 
ence in heaven prior to his advent. But that is entirely 
consistent with a prior earthly life. This conception, 
however, is capable of a development, either in the 
direction of the New Testament, implying a previous 
earthly life, death, resurrection and ascension, or of the 
extra-Biblical Judaism, implying a pre-existence of the 
Messiah in heaven before his advent to judgment. 

The author of the Similitudes adheres to the stand- 
point of extra-Biblical Judaism, and carries back that 
pre-existence to the time before the creation of the 
world. This is an important advance in the Messianic 
idea beyond the Old Testament. It is the highest stage 
reached before the advent of the Messiah. But it is not 
yet a Christian conception, and it might easily become 
anti-Christian. There is no trace of the doctrine of the 
divinity of the Messiah, or of his exaltation to an equal- 
ity of rank with God or of a prior advent. 1 

The next passage that we shall consider is an unfold- 
ing of the scene of the resurrection of Daniel. 2 

In those days will the earth give back that intrusted to it, and 
Sheol will give back that intrusted to it which it has received, 
and Abaddon will give back what it owes. 3 And he will select 

i See Dillmann in /. c . p. xxiv., and Charles, p. 134. 2 Dan. xii. 

3 Haguel is here the equivalent of the Hebrew \\12$ and the Greek anuria 

the prison of the lost in the Middle State. The Book of Enoch agrees with 
the Eschatology of the New Testament and the Jewish Literature of that time, 
that the wicked are not consigned to the fires of Gehenna until the day of judg- 
ment. For the use of [H^K with TIN^ see Job xxvi. 6; xxviii. 22; Prov. xv. n. 






28 THE MESSIAH 

the righteous and holy among them, for the day has come that 
they should be saved. And the Elect One will in those days sit 
on his throne and all the mysteries of wisdom will flow forth 
from the thoughts of his mouth ; for the Lord of Spirits has 
given it to him and glorified him. And in those days will the 
mountains leap like rams and the hills skip like lambs 1 satisfied 
with milk, and they all will become angels in heaven. Their 
faces will shine with joy, because in those days the Elect One has 
appeared, and the earth will rejoice and the righteous will dwell 
on it, and the elect ones will go to and fro upon it. (li.) 

This passage extends the general resurrection of 
Daniel to a universal resurrection. It then considers 
the rewards of the righteous. The fate of the wicked is 
described in chap. lxii. The three places, earth, Sheol, 
and Abaddon, hold all those who are to rise to the 
judgment, both the righteous and the wicked. The 
author conceives of the earth as the place of the bodies 
of men, Sheol as the abode of the elect, and Abaddon 
as the prison of the lost. The elect rise from the dead, 
come forth from Sheol and receive their bodies from the 
earth in order to dwell on the earth, which has been 
transformed for them and which rejoices with them. 

And the Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory, 
and the spirit of righteousness was poured out over him, and the 
word of his mouth slew all sinners, and all the unrighteous before 
his face were destroyed. 2 And there will stand up in that day 
all the kings and the mighty, and the exalted, and those who 
hold the earth, and they will see and recognize him how he sits 
on the throne of his glory, and righteousness is judged before 
him, and no lying word is spoken before him. Then will pain 
come upon them as on a woman in travail, who finds it grievous 
to bring forth when her son enters the mouth of the womb and 
she has pain in bringing forth. And one portion of them will 
look on the other, and they will be terrified, and their counten- 
ance will fall, and pain will seize them when they see that Son 



1 Ps. cxiv. 4-6. 3 Is. xi.4. 



OF THE SIMILITUDES OF ENOCH 



29 



of Man sitting on the throne of his glory.' And the kings, the 
mighty ones and all who are lords of the earth will honor and 
bless and exalt him who was concealed, who rules over all. For 
the Son of Man was concealed before Him and the Most High 
preserved him before His power, and revealed him to the elect. 
And the congregation of the holy and elect will be planted and 
all the elect will stand before him in that day. And all the kings 
and the mighty, and the exalted and rulers of the earth will fall 
on their faces before him and supplicate him, and set their hopes 
on that Son of Man, and pray to him and implore mercy from 
him. Nevertheless, that Lord of Spirits will now force them to 
hastily depart from His face, and their faces will be filled with 
shame, and darkness will be heaped thereon. And the angels 
of punishment will receive them to take vengeance on them, 
because they abused His children and His elect. And they will 
be a spectacle for the righteous and for His elect. These will 
rejoice over them because the wrath of the Lord of Spirits rests 
upon them, and the sword of the Lord of Spirits is drunk with 
their blood ; and the righteous and elect will be saved in that 
day, and will henceforth never more see the face of the sinners 
and the unrighteous. And the Lord of Spirits will dwell over 
them, and they will dwell with that Son of Man, and eat and lie 
down and rise up to all eternity. And the righteous and elect 
will have risen up from the ground, and cease having downcast 
looks, and will be clothed with the garments of glory ; and these 
will be your garments, garments of life with the Lord of Spirits, 
and your garments will never grow old,' 2 and your glory will 
never decrease before the Lord of Spirits, (lxii. 2-16.) 

The Son of Man, in one passage, according to most 
MSS. gives place to the Son of the Woman. Tnis seems 
to be nothing more than an unconscious substitution of 
a Christian copyist. But if the reading should be cor- 
rect, in the context it can only be a synonym of Son of 

1 Charles seems to be right in preferring the reading of an earlier MS. to the 
great number of later MSS. followed by Dillmann and other writers. His expla- 
nation of the unconscious change to Son of the Woman, by Christian scribes, 
is reasonable. See his valuable notes, Book 0/ Enoch, pp. 128, 164. 

2 Deut. viii. 4. 



I 



30 THE MESSIAH 

Man. The Messiah was not conceived as God or as 
angel, but as man, as woman-born. It is not likely that 
the author is thinking of the mother of Emmanuel. 1 It 
is impossible that he should have given that passage the 
interpretation of the evangelist Matthew. 8 It is possible 
that the writer had in mind the mother of the ruler from 
Bethlehem, 3 because he had this passage in mind in his 
reference to the pre-existence of the Messiah. But that 
passage gives us nothing more than a ruler woman-born. 
There is nothing in the text or context to imply the 
virgin birth of this Son of Man. The joy of the redeemed 
at the wrath of the Messiah against the wicked is cer- 
tainly not a Christian doctrine. It can hardly be found 
in the Old Testament. But even our writer does not 
dwell upon these woes; he leaves them, after a moment, 
to set forth again the blessedness of the redeemed. 

The Messianic idea of these Similitudes is remarkably 
pure and of the genuine Biblical type. It is based 
chiefly on the Apocalypse of Daniel and on the great 
prophet of the exile, with occasional references to Isaiah 
and Micah. God is the judge, but the Son of Man takes 
part in the judgment. The resurrection seems to be 
universal, and in this respect there is an advance upon 
Daniel. The rewards and punishments are in accord- 
ance with character and endure forever. The most im- 
portant feature for our consideration is the new element 
introduced into the Messianic idea in the doctrine of the 
concealment of the Son of Man before his manifestation, 
and of his naming before the creation of the sun and the 
stars, teaching the pre-existence of the Son of Man be- 
fore his manifestation. This is a closer approximation 
to the doctrine of the New Testament than anything 



1 Is. vii. 14. 2 Matth. i. 22-25. s Micah v. 2, 3. 



OF THE PSALTER OF SOLOMON 31 

we have seen in the Old Testament. This has led some 
scholars to think of Christian influence. But the doc- 
trine is really intermediate between the Old Testament 
and the New Testament. It is only a legitimate un- 
folding of the ideal pre-existence of the ruler from Beth- 
lehem given in Micah. There reference was made to 
the ancient promises. Here reference is made further 
back to the design of God. He was elected and named. 
The author advances another step on the basis of Daniel. 
The Son of Man came from heaven. He was concealed 
there until the time for his manifestation. The author 
thinks of this pre-existence and concealment as prior to 
the creation of the world. The manifestation of this 
concealed Son of Man is not for redemption, as a Chris- 
tian would have conceived, but for the judgment of the 
world at the universal resurrection, as Daniel predicts ; 
and so the point of view of the old covenant is not 
abandoned. 

THE MESSIAH OF THE PSALTER OF SOLOMON. 

§ 7. God will visit His people in glory, and gather Is- 
rael from all lands. Jerusalem will become glorious and 
holy. The Messiah, the son of David, is the hope of 
Israel. He will be lord and king, sinless and free from 
sickness, and endowed with wisdom, prudence, power, and 
righteousness. He will judge and will purify Jerusalem, 
and all nations will come to see His glory. 

The Psalter of Solomon ' has a more spiritual concep- 

1 The Psalter of Solomon is assigned by Ewald and Weiffenbach to the 2d 
century B.C., and by Langen, Hausrath, Vernes, and Schurer to the time of 
Pompey (63-48 B.C.), by Ryle to 70-40 B.C. These eighteen Psalms, originally 
written in Hebrew, have been preserved only in the Greek version. See article 
by B. Pick on the Psalter of Solomon, in Presbyterian Review >, 1883, pp. 775 
sea.; H. E. Ryle, The Psalms 0/ Solomon, 1891. 



I 



32 THE MESSIAH 

tion of the Messianic idea than the writings thus far 
considered. It moves in the lines of the ancient psalms 
and prophets. We have first to consider especially 
Ps. xi. 

Blow ye the trumpet in Sion, the holy trumpet of Jubilee. 1 
Proclaim ye in Jerusalem with the voice of him that bringeth 

good tidings ; 2 
That God hath had mercy upon Israel in his visitation of them. 
Stand up on high, O Jerusalem, and behold thy children 
Gathered from the East and the West together by the Lord. 
From the North they come in the gladness of their God, 
From distant isles, God gathered them, 
High mountains He made low unto a plain to them. 
The hills fled before their entering in, 
The woods gave them shade as they passed by, 
Every tree of sweet savour God made to sprinp- up for them 
That Israel might pass by in the visitation ot the glory of their 

God. 3 
Put on, O Jerusalem, the garments of thy glory, 
Prepare the robe of thy holiness, 4 
For God hath spoken good to Israel forever and ever. 
May the Lord do what He has spoken concerning Israel and in 

Jerusalem, 
May the Lord raise up Israel in the name of His glory. 
The Lord's mercy be upon Israel forever and ever. 

This beautiful piece of poetry is on the divine side of 
the Messianic idea, and is after the style of the great 
prophet of the exile. It shows no advance in concep- 
tion and no departure from the Biblical ideals. 

The Messiah, the son of David, is predicted in Ps. xvii. 
The Psalmist represents that God is the eternal king 
of Israel. The Lord is reminded of the promise to David 
respecting the everlasting dominion of his seed, in the 
style of the older Psalter. 6 



i Cf. Joel ii. i. 2 Cf. Is. xl. 9. » Cf. Is. xl. 5. * Cf . Is. lii. x. 

6 Pss. lxxxix. 19 seq.\ cxxxii. 11-18. 



OF THE PSALTER OF SOLOMON 33 

Behold, O Lord, and raise up for them their king, 

A son of David for the time which thou knovvest, O God, 

To reign over Israel thy servant ; 

And gird him with strength to crush unjust rulers. 

Purge Jerusalem from nations who are trampling her in ruin. 

In wisdom, in righteousness, cast out sinners from the inherit- 
ance. 

Grind to powder the pride of sinners as a potter's vessel, 1 

With a rod of iron break in pieces all their substance. 

Destroy lawless nations with the word of his mouth ; 2 

So that at his threatening nations may flee from his face, 

And convict sinners with the word of their heart. 

And he will assemble a holy people whom he will lead in right- 
eousness, 

And will judge the tribes of a people sanctified by the Lord his 
God, 

And he will not suffer unrighteousness to dwell in the midst of 
them. 

And no man will dwell among them who knows evil. 

For he will know them that they are all sons of their God, 

And he will portion them out in their tribes upon the land. 

And stranger and foreigner will not dwell with them any more. 

He will judge peoples and nations in the wisdom of his right- 
eousness. 

And he will bring peoples of nations to serve him under his 
yoke; 

And he will glorify the Lord in a place to be seen of all the 
earth, 

And he will purify Jerusa^m in sanctification as also it was from 
the beginning, 

That nations may come from the end of the earth to see his 
glory, 

Bearing as gifts her wearied sons, 3 

And to see the glory of the Lord with which God glorified 
her.- 1 

And he himself a just king taught of God will be over them ; 

And there will be no unrighteousness in his days in the midst of 
them, 



I 



1 Cf. Ps. ii. 9. » Cf. Is. xi. 4. 3 Cf. Is. lxvi. 18-20. * Cf. Is. 60. 



34 THE MESSIAH 

For all will be saints and their king the Lord Messiah, 1 
For he will not trust in horse, and chariot and bow, 
Neither will he multiply for himself silver and gold for war, 
And from his army 2 he will not gather hopes for the day of 

war. 
The Lord, himself, his king is the hope of him that is strong in 

the hope of God. 
And he will set all the nations before him in fear ; 
For he will smite the earth with the word of his mouth forever. 3 
He will bless the people of the Lord in wisdom with gladness, 
And he himself will be pure from sin to rule over a great people, 
To correct rulers and to remove sinners by strength of word. 
And he will not be weak in his days because of his God ; 
For God made him capable by the Holy Spirit, 4 
And wise in counsel of prudence with strength and righteous- 
ness. 
And the blessing of the Lord is with him in strength, 
And he will not be weak, his hope is in the Lord. 
And who can do anything against him ? 

He will be mighty in his doings and strong in the fear of God, 
Feeding the flock of the Lord 5 in faith and righteousness ; 
And he will not suffer any to be weak among them in their 

pasture. 
In holiness he will lead them all, 
And there will be not among them haughtiness to exercise 

oppression among them. 
This is the beauty of the king of Israel, which God knew, 
To raise him over Israel, to train him. 
His words are refined above the most precious gold. 



i xP iar °S fivptoc is probably on the basis of "0*1 N of Ps. ex. i (nvptog rcJ 
Kvpio) uov Ixx.) ; so apparently Ryle, who gives an admirable discussion of the 
several explanations. Schiirer follows Ewald, Hilgenfeld, Wellhausen, W, 
Robertson Smith and others in regarding it as a mistranslation of fftfp ITL'TO 
and renders The Lord's Anointed. There is no justification for the theory that 
it is a Christian interpolation. See Luke ii. n and p. 52. 

2 The MSS. have noTCkolg which seems to give no good sense. Hilgenfeld 
and Fritzsche conjecture bnloiq ; Ryle, n?Mioig. 

sCf. Is. xi. 4. 

4 Cf. Is. xi. 2 ; lxiii. 10. 

» Cf. Mic. v. 4 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23 seq. 



OF THE PSALTER OF SOLOMON 35 

In the assemblies he will judge peoples, the tribes of the sancti- 
fied. 

His words are as words of holy ones in the midst of sanctified 
peoples. 

Blessed are they who shall be born in those days, 

To see the good things of Israel which God will accomplish in 
the assembly of the tribes. 

May God hasten his mercy toward Israel ! 

Deliver us from the defilement of profane foes ! 

The Lord Himself is our king for ever and ever. 

(xvii. 23-51). 

Psalm xviii. also briefly utters the Messianic petition : 

May God purify Israel for the day of mercy in blessing, 
For the day of election in the bringing up of His anointed. 
Blessed are they who shall be born in those days, 
To see the good things of the Lord w r hich he will do for the 
generation to come, (xviii. 6-7). 

These psalms present the pure and genuine faith of 
Israel, mingling the Biblical elements without the intru- 
sion of foreign ingredients, and entirely in the spirit of 
the ancient psalter and the prophets. 1 



1 Ryle, Psalms 0/ Solomon, pp. lvi, lvii, says that "the picture of the Messiah in 
our xviith Psalm marks the most notable advance in the conception of the Mes- 
sianic expectation. Here for the first time in Palestinian literature, the idea of 
a personal Messiah is unequivocally stated." "In this representation of the 
human Messiah, perfect in holiness and taught of God, free from sin and wield- 
ing only the weapons of spiritual power, we find ourselves brought more nearly 
than in any other extant pre-Christian writing to the idealisation of the ' Christ,' 
who was born into the world not half a century later than the time at which 
these psalms were written." This advance seems to me to be imaginary. Ryle 
apparently does not do justice to the Messianic ideals of the Old Testament. 
This psalm of Solomon combines a number of different conceptions of several 
prophets and psalmists: Pss. ii. 9; Ixxxix. 19 sea.; ex. 1 ; exxxii. 11-18; Is. xi. 
2-4; be.; lxvi. 18-20; Ezek. xxxiv. 23 scq.; Mic. v. 4 ; but so far as I can see it 
does not develop them ; it makes no advance on them by the combinations ; it 
does not give a single new feature to the Messianic king. The personal Messiah 
is as unequivocally stated in several of these passages upon which this Ps. xvii. is 
built, as in this psalm itself. It is just as easy to idealize the king of Ps. xvii. into 
a dynasty as it is to do so in these passages of the older psalmists and prophets. 
See Briggs' Mess. Proph., pp. 42-46. 55, 59- 61 . 73. "°, 492 3eq. 






36 THE MESSIAH 

THE HELLENISTIC MESSIANIC IDEA. 

§ 8. The Hellenistic spirit idealized the Messianic 
promise into the hope of better and holier times to be ac- 
complished by God, in which righteousness will triumph, 
wickedness be destroyed, and the righteous receive their 
reward. 

The chief writing of the Hellenistic group is the Book 
of Wisdom. 1 We should not expect the Messianic idea 
in a writing of this class any more than in the Book of 
Proverbs after which it was modelled. However, there 
are two passages. 

For God created man to be immortal, 

And made him to be an image of his own eternity. 

Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the 
world : 

And they that are of his side do find it. 

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, 

And there shall no torment touch them. 

In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die : 

And their departure is taken for misery, 

And their going from us to be utter destruction ; 

But they are in peace. 

For though they be punished in the sight of men, 

Yet is their hope full of immortality. 

And having keen a little chastised, they shall be greatly re- 
warded : 

For God proved them, and found them worthy for himself. 

As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, 

And received them as a burnt offering. 



i The Book of Wisdom is a psrjdepigraph bearing the name of Solomon ; 
the name of Solomon being used because he was regarded as the great master of 
Hebrew wisdom. Solomon and wisdom had become synonymous terms, just as 
was the case with David and Psalms, and Moses and Laws. It was composed 
in the Greek language by an unknown author at an unknown date. It is usually 
assigned to the 2d century B.C.: (so, Deane and Bissell). But Gratz, Kuenen, 
Plumptre, and Farrar assign it 1038-40 A.D. Schurer puts it between Sirach 
and Philo. 



OF THE HELLENISTS 37 

And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, 

And run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. 

They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the 

people, 
And their Lord shall reign for ever. 

They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth : 
And such as be faithful in love shall abide with him : 
For grace and mercy are to his saints, and he hath care for his 

elect. 
But the ungodly shall be punished according to their own 

imaginations, 
Which have neglected the righteous and forsaken the Lord. 

(ii. 23 — iii. 10). 

For the hope of the ungodly is like dust that is blown away with 

the wind, • 

Like a thin froth that is driven away with the storm ; 
Like as the smoke which is dispersed here and there with a 

tempest, 
And passeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth 

but a day — 
But the righteous live for evermore ; 
Their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with 

the Most High. 
Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, 
And a beautiful crown from the Lord's hand : 
For with his right hand shall he cover them, 
And with his arm shall he protect them (v. 14-16). 

These passages bring out the Greek conception of the 
immortality of the soul and attach to it the Hebrew 
conception of the blessedness of the righteous dead. 
They are in the hand of God, where no torment can 
touch them. They only seemed to die ; they have a 
hope full of immortality ; they live forevermore. They 
will be greatly rewarded, they will abide with the Lord 
forever. They will receive a glorious kingdom and a 
beautiful crown, and will judge the nations. The Lord 
will reign forever. 



ft 



38 TEE MESSIAH 

The Jewish philosopher Philo has no conception of a 
personal Messiah. He expects a restoration of Israel- 
ites to the holy land. They will be led by an appear- 
ance only visible to the redeemed. 1 This is thought of 
as a second Exodus in which they will be conducted by 
a theophany like the pillar of fire and cloud of the earlier 
Exodus. Philo also describes " a man coming forth lead- 
ing a host and warring furiously. He will subdue great 
and populous nations, God sending that assistance which 
is suitable for pious men." 2 This passage seems to point 
to a personal Messiah, a victorious chieftain. But this 
interpretation is against the context ; for Philo adds 
that " this assistance is an intrepid hardihood of soul 
and an irresistible strength of body, either of which 
things is formidable to the enemy, and if both qualities 
are united they are completely invincible." Philo is 
idealizing and thinking of the supremacy of true man- 
hood, after the Greek fashion, and has no thought of a 
personal Messiah. 

The Hellenistic Jewish Literature gives no trace of a 
personal Messiah ; but represents merely the hope of 
the prevalence of righteousness in a more ethical and 
prosperous future. 

THE MESSIANIC IDEAS OF THE JEWISH SECTS. 

§ 9. The Saddncees had no other. Messianic idea than the 
hope of the perpetuity of the temple and the nation. The 
Essenes sought to realize the kingdom of God in a commu- 
nity of saints by zaithdrazual from the world and purifi- 
cation of the flesJi. The Pharisees of the School of Hillel 
were devout and ctliical, and nearer the genuine Old Tes- 
tament type. The School of Shammai looked for the res- 



De execrationibus, §§8-9. 3 De praemis et poem's, §§ 15-20. 



OF THE JEWISH SECTS 39 

toration of the kingdom to Israel through divine interven- 
tion. The Zealots perpetuated the heroic spirit of the 
Maccabees and longed for a Messianic hero. 

The literature already considered reflects to a consid- 
erable extent the doctrines of the Jewish sects. But we 
have other sources of information to guide us in the in- 
terpretation of their doctrines. 

The Sadducees were a priestly and an aristocratic 
party with little faith and less hope. It does not appear 
that they cherished the Messianic ideas of the ancient 
psalmists and prophets. Denying angels and spirits, the 
resurrection and the future life, they had no conception 
of a divine judgment at the end of the world or of a Mes- 
sianic deliverer. They studied to maintain the temple- 
worship in its integrity, and to live on good terms with 
the Roman Empire. 

The Essenes were a mystical sect. They had no hope 
of reform in public life. They sought communion with 
God by retirement from the world, and they strove for 
victory over evil by the purification of the flesh. They 
endeavored to prepare for the kingdom of God by the 
organization of a community of saints. It does not ap- 
pear that they had any other Messianic idea. 

The Messianic idea lived and was fruitful among the 
sects of the Pharisees. The School of Hillel was learned 
and moderate, pious and ethical in its tendencies. It 
troubled itself but little with political affairs. It was 
ever opposed to the rebellions against the Roman Em- 
pire. To this tendency in Israel we may ascribe such 
productions as the Psalter of Solomon and the Simili- 
tudes of the Book of Enoch. 

The School of Shammai was stern, severe, exclusive, 
and scholastic in tendency. Dogmatic rules prevailed 



i 



40 TBE MESSIAH 

over ethical principles. They ever indulged in political 
scheming, although hesitating to put their principles in 
practice. To men of this school we may attribute much 
of the Palestinian literature that expresses its Messianic 
hopes for a more glorious future for Israel in the Holy 
Land, with little or no thought of a Messiah. 

The party of the Zealots was a more popular sect of 
the Pharisees. These perpetuated the spirit of the Mac- 
cabean times. They were dissatisfied with the foreign 
yoke and were ever ripe for rebellion in order to bring in 
the kingdom of God. Whenever we see this party in 
action we find alongside of it Pharisees of the school 
of Shammai. To this party of the people a personal 
Messiah, a Son of David, a heroic king, was essential, 
and they were ever ready to follow any one claiming to 
be a prophet or a Messiah of their sort. Judas, the 
Gaulonite, in his early rebellion was supported by 
Zadok, of the School of Shammai. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MESSIANIC IDEA OF THE FORERUNNERS 
OF JESUS. 

NOTWITHSTANDING the Messianic idea had been so 
generally deflected from its normal course of develop- 
ment by the various religious parties in Israel subsequent 
to the Maccabean revolution, there were yet not a few 
pious souls, both among the learned of the school of 
Hillel and among the people, who clung with compara- 
tive simplicity and purity to the hope of a personal 
Messiah and of a moral and spiritual redemption through 
him. A number of these are brought into view who 
were waiting and looking for the consolation of Israel — 
such as Zachariah the priest, Joseph and Mary, Simeon 
and Anna. 

These appear in the earlier chapters of the Gospel of 
Luke. A single incident is reported in the first chapter 
of the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Mark, which, 
apart from a few later additions, is the earliest of our 
gospels, and which presents the earliest account of the 
life of Jesus, knows nothing of them. The original Ara- 
maic Gospel of Matthew, the Logia, 1 did not include 
them ; for they are not in those portions of the present 
Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, which 
derived their material from the Logia. They are in 

1 McGiffert's Eusebius y pp. 152, 153, 173. 

(41) 



% 



42 THE MESSIAH 

those portions of Luke and Matthew which were derived 
from other sources than the originals of Mark and Mat- 
thew. This material is also in the form of poetry em- 
bedded in prose narrative. This poetry is of the same 
kind as the poetry of the Old Testament. It has the 
same principles of parallelism and measurement of the 
lines by the beats of the accent, or by the number of 
separate words. Early Syriac poetry conformed to the 
same principles. 1 This poetry was translated from Ara- 
maic originals, and was doubtless written when trans- 
lated by Luke. The Greek translation in some cases 
destroys the symmetry of the lines of Aramaic poetry, 
obscures their measurement, and mars their parallelism. 3 
It is probable that the prose which encompasses this 
poetry comes from the authors of the Gospels, the po- 
etry from other and probably several different authors. 8 
Therefore we are not to look for an earlier written Gos- 
pel of the Infancy of Jesus, but are to think of a num- 
ber of early Christian poems with reference to that in- 
fancy from which the author of our Gospel made a selec- 
tion. There are many other stories of the infancy of 
Jesus in the apocryphal gospels, some of which may be 
genuine, but the most of them appear to be legendary. 

These songs, which have been selected for use in the 
Gospel of Luke, doubtless represent reflection upon 
these events by Christian poets, who put in the mouths 
of the angels, the mothers and the fathers, the poems 
which they composed. 4 But the inspired author of the 



i Grimme, Z. D. M. G., xlvii. s. 276 seq. 

2 The same characteristics appear in the translations of the poetry of the Old 
Testament which frequently occur in the writings of the New Testament. 

3 The poetry has indeed different measurement of lines. See pp. 47, 57. 

4 It could not have been otherwise unless there had been a stenographer or 
reporter at hand on each occasion, which the circumstances narrated in the con- 
text make impossible. Whether the original authors were guided by divine 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 43 

Gospel vouches for their propriety and for their essential 
conformity to truth and fact. We may divide this ma- 
terial into three sections: 1. The Songs of Annuncia- 
tion. 2. The Songs of the Mothers. 3. The Songs of 
the Fathers. 

THE SONGS OF ANNUNCIATION. 

§ 10. John will be born of Elizabeth and be filled with the 
Holy Spirit from his birth. As a second Elijah he will 
prepare a people for the Lord. Jesus will be conceived and 
born of the Virgin Mary i7i theophanics. He will be called 
the Son of God. He will be the Messiah, and will reign on 
the throne of his father David forever ; and as Saviour 
he will save his people from their sins. 

The new dispensation was introduced, according to 
the Gospel of Luke, by angelic appearances making an- 
nunciations. 

The Annunciation to Zacharias. 

Gabriel the archangel comes first to Zacharias the 
priest, and brings him a divine message while he is min- 
istering in the holy place of the temple, at the golden 
altar of incense. He was alone in that darkened room, 
lighted only by the holy lamps, enveloped in the clouds 
of incense that he was offering to give efficacy to the 
prayers of the people worshipping in the courts without. 
In that solemn hour of mediation the angel Gabriel 
comes from the immediate presence of God to bring 
him the glad tidings of the birth and ministry of the 



inspiration or not it matters little. If the author of the canonical Luke was 
inspired, he is responsible for what he used as well as what he composed, and 
his inspiration covers their selection as appropriate and as sufficiently accurate for 
the purpose. 



ft 



44 THE MESSIAH 

herald of the Messiah. The promise assumes the tri- 
meter movement of Hebrew poetry. 

i. 

Fear not, Zacharias : 

Because thy supplication is heard, 

And thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, 1 

And thou shalt call his name John. 

And thou shalt have joy and gladness ; 

And many shall rejoice at his birth. 

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, 

He shall drink no wine nor strong drink ; 

And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, 

Even from his mother's womb. 

ii. 
And many of the children of Israel 
Shall he turn unto the Lord their God. 
And he shall go before His face 
In the spirit and power of Elijah, 
To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 
And the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just ; 
To make ready for the Lord a people prepared [for him]. 

(Luke i. 13-17). 

The fear that sprang up in the heart of Zacharias 
when Gabriel appeared was stilled by the first word. 
The supplication that was heard was not the public 
prayer that he was now bringing before God with the 
efficacious incense, but his private prayers for a child, 
and possibly also for the advent of the Messiah. The 
child is to fulfil the prophecy of Malachi : 2 " Behold, 
I am about to send you Elijah the prophet, before the 
coming of the great and terrible day of Yahweh. And 



1 Such lines in the Greek betray an Aramaic original. 

2 We must interpret KvpioQ in accordance with the prediction in Malachi as 
referring; to God. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 45 

he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and 
the heart of the children to their fathers ; lest I come 
and smite the earth with a ban." ' John is to become a 
second Elijah. As such he is to be a Nazarite 2 like 
Samuel, the founder of the prophetic order. He is to 
live a life of severity and austerity, in keeping with a 
ministry whose aim was to call Israel to repentance and 
prepare thereby for the advent of God. For this pur- 
pose he is to be endowed with the Holy Spirit. The 
Holy Spirit is not to come down upon him and take vio- 
lent possession of him, as he did in the case of the an- 
cient judges, the saviours of God's people. The Holy 
Spirit is to enter into him and dwell in him, — fill him 
and fill all his ministry. He is to be filled with the 
Spirit even from his mother's womb, — from the moment 
of birth on through all his life and activity as the herald 
of God. This will make him great, — the greatest of those 
born under the Old Testament, 3 and successful in his 
work of making the last preparation as the immediate 
precursor of the Messiah. 

The Annunciation to Mary. 

Gabriel also announces to Mary the birth of the Mes- 
siah. The Blessed Virgin was residing in Nazareth of 
Galilee, betrothed to Joseph of the royal line of David, 
the heir of the Messianic promises of the Old Testa- 
ment. The time for marriage had not yet come. 
God had a higher appointment for her to fulfil as the 
virgin mother of the Messiah. The annunciation is 
made by the angel in three little pieces of trimeter 
poetry, which have become somewhat obscured by 
the Greek translation. At first Gabriel comes with 



I 



1 Mai. iv. 5, 6. 2 Num. vi. 1-21. 3 Luke vii. 28. 



46 THE MESSIAH 

a salutation (the Ave Maria) in the form of a dis- 
tich : 

Hail, thou that art endued with grace, 

The Lord is with thee. 1 (Luke i. 28). 

Mary seems to have been disturbed by the coming of 
the angel. His salutation and its mysterious language 
must have filled her with surprise and excited her emo- 
tions to the utmost. The angel in his second piece 
soothes her fears, and delivers the message from God in 
a piece of ten lines. 

Fear not, Mary : 

For thou hast found grace 2 with God. 

And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a 

son, 3 
And shalt call his name Jesus. 
He shall be great, 

And shall be called the Son of the Most High : 
And the Lord God shall give unto him 
The throne of his father David : 
And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; 
And of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke i. 30-33.) 

This annunciation contains two references to predic- 
tions of the Old Testament. The name of the child, 
" Son of the Most High," which reappears as " Son of 
God " in the third word (v. 35), brings to mind : 

Let me tell of a decree of Yahweh. 

He said unto me, " Thou art my son, 

I, to-day, have begotten thee." (Ps. ii. 7.) 

1 The rendering of the margin " endued with grace " is preferable to the text 
of the Revised Version, " highly favoured "; for it brings out the full import as 
well as the usual meaning of the word. The phrase " the Lord is with thee " is 
a familiar one in the prophetic historians of the Old Testament. 

2 We should give X&ptg and its verb their technical meaning, of grace,, as in 
R. V. margin, and not obscure their full significance by "favour" and "highly 

favoured " of the A. V. 

3 The length of the third line is due to the Greek translation. It would be 
in better proportion in Aramaic. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 47 

The promise that he will be enthroned on the throne 
of David, have an everlasting kingdom, and reign over 
the house of Jacob forever, distinctly presents him as 
the Messianic King of the Old Testament. The prom- 
ise of an everlasting kingdom was made to David in the 
prophecy of Nathan. 1 This Messianic King is described 
in Isaiah. 

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us ; and the rule is 
upon his shoulder, 

And his name is called Wonderful Counsellor, Divine Hero, Dis- 
tributor of Spoils, Prince of Peace ; 

For the increase of his rule and for peace without end upon the 
throne of David and over his kingdom, 

To establish it, and to confirm it in justice and righteousness, 
from henceforth, even for ever. 2 (Isaiah ix. 6-7.) 

This passage was, doubtless, in the mind of the 
angel, and underlies the thought of the song. The 
name " Jesus " is not explained in the context of 
Luke. The explanation is given in the annunciation to 
Joseph. 

Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy 

wife ; 
For that which is begotten 3 in her is of the Holy Spirit. 
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name 

Jesus ; 4 
For it is he that shall save his people from their sins. 

(Matt. i. 20-21.) 

The annunciation fills the Virgin with surprise and 
amazement. She was not married. How could she 
have a son at all, not to speak of giving birth to the heir 

1 2 Sam. vii. 11- 16. 

3 See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 200. 

3 The R. V. margin is to be preferred. 

4 yit^iT^'lT/aot'f— Yahweh is salvation. 



48 THE MESSIAH 

of David ? The angel explains the mystery of the 
Divine purpose in a third word. 

The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, 

And the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee : 

Wherefore also that holy thing that is to be born, 

Shall be called the Son of God : ' 

And behold Elizabeth thy kinswoman, 

She also hath conceived a son in her old age : 

And this is the sixth month with her that was called barren ; 

For no word from God shall be void of power. (Luke i. 35-37.) 

This song of the angel begins with the promise of the 
Holy Spirit, concludes with the assurance that the 
divine word is all-powerful, and in the midst points to 
Elizabeth as a sign of the power of God. Elizabeth, the 
aged and barren wife of Zacharias, has already conceived 
by the power of God. As in the history of Sarah the 
wife of Abraham, the barrenness of Elizabeth has been 
transformed by the power of God into fertility. This 
will be a sign that God will use the almighty power of 
his Spirit in enabling Mary to give birth to the Messiah. 
That which is to be born of her is called holy, because 
it was to be born of the Holy Spirit. This word of the 
angel may be regarded as in accord with the prediction 
of Isaiah : 

And a twig will come forth from the stump of Jesse, 

And a shoot from his roots will be fruitful ; 

And the spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him, 

The spirit of wisdom and understanding, 

The spirit of counsel and might, 

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh. 

(Isa. xi. 1-2.) 



1 The poetical structure decides in favor of the A. V. and against R. V. 
In the third and fourth lines, the Revised Version renders one way in the 
text and another way in the margin. The rendering I have given is inter- 
mediate between them. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 49 

The Messianic King was to be endowed with the ful- 
ness of the Divine Spirit. This third word of the angel 
carries the endowment with the Spirit back of the offi- 
cial life into the origin of life itself. It proclaims that 
the Spirit of God will take possession of the mother of 
the Messiah, so that she will become a mother by the 
power of God and the energy of his Spirit. The Mes- 
siah will enter the world conceived by the power of the 
Holy Spirit and born of the Holy Spirit. He will be 
holy from his conception onwards. Therefore he will 
be called the Son of God, because of his native holiness, 
and because of the divine life that begot him as the 
Messiah. 

The virgin conception of Jesus, as here announced by 
the archangel, is not to be interpreted as if it were a 
miracle in violation of the laws of nature ; but rather as 
brought about by God Himself present in theophany. 
The conception of Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary 
differs from all other conceptions of children by their 
mothers in that there was no human father. The place 
of the human father was taken by God Himself; not 
that God appeared in theophany in human form to beget 
the child after the analogy of the mythologies of the 
ethnic religions; but that God in a theophany in an 
extraordinary way, unrevealed to us, and without viola- 
tion of the laws of maternity, impregnates the Virgin 
Mary with the holy seed. The words of the angel imply 
a theophanic presence ; for though it might be urged 
that the coming of the Spirit upon her was an invisible 
coming after the analogy of many passages of the Old 
Testament ; yet the parallel statement that the divine 
power overshadowed her cannot be so interpreted. For 
it not only in itself represents that the divine power 
covered her with a shadow ; but this is to be thought of 



ft 



50 THE MESSIAH 

after the uniform usage of Scripture as a bright cloud of 
glory, hovering over her, resting upon her, or envelop- 
ing her with a halo of divinity, in the moment when the 
divine energy enabled her to conceive the child Jesus. 1 

This representation is based upon the well-known pillar 
of cloud lighted with divine glory, of the story of the 
Exodus, 3 and of the erection of Solomon's temple. 3 The 
entrance of God into his tabernacle and temple to dwell 
there in a theophanic cloud would naturally suggest that 
the entrance of the divine life into the virgin's womb to 
dwell there, would be in the same form of theophanic 
cloud. The earthly origin of Jesus in the virgin's womb 
would thus begin with a theophany, just as a theophany 
accompanies his birth, 4 his baptism, 6 his transfiguration, 6 
his crucifixion, 7 and his resurrection. 8 

This annunciation represents the conception of Jesus 
as due to a theophany. It does not state the doctrine 
of his pre-existence ; although that doctrine is a legiti- 
mate inference. It represents an early stage of New 
Testament Christology. It does not go a step beyond 
the Paulinism of the epistles to the Corinthians. 9 It 



i The same verb emGKiafa is used in the LXX. of Ex. xl. 35, with reference to 
the cloud of glory of the Tabernacle, and also to the theophanic cloud of the 
Transfiguration in Matth. xvii. 5 ; Mark ix. 7 ; Luke ix. 34. The cloud of glory 
is always connected with God, and implies more than the agency of the divine 
Spirit. 

2 Ex. xl. 34-35 ; Nu. ix. 15. s iK. viii. 10. 

4 See p. 51. 6 See p. 75. 6 See p. 100. 7 See p. 128. 8 See p. 130. 

9 This annunciation knows nothing of the incarnation of the Logos, of the pro- 
logue of the Gospel of John, i. 14 ; or of the Son of Man from heaven, of the 
Gospel itself, John iii. 13 ; or of the effulgence of the glory of God, of Heb. i. 3 ; 
or of the first-born of all creation of Col. i. 15 ; or of the epiphany of the Messiah 
of 2 Tim. i. 10 : or of the Kenosis of Phil. ii. 6 ; but represents an earlier Chris- 
tology than any of these writings. Holzmann, Die Synoptiker, s. 532, truly states 
that Rom. i. 3, viii. 3, Gal. iv. 4, do not imply a virgin birth, but may be inter- 
preted of a birth of Joseph and Maiy, in accordance with the reference to Joseph 
as the father of Jesus in the primitive gospels. But as Schmiedel shows {Die 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 51 

implies nothing more than the sending in birth taught 
by the epistles to the Galatians and to the Romans. It 
is really a more primitive and more simple christological 
conception. 

The Virgin, in meekness and humility, yields to the 
heavenly message in a word that assumes the poetic 
form as a responsive echo from her heart. 

Behold, the handmaid of the Lord ; 

Be it unto me according to thy word. (Luke i. 38.) 

The Annunciation to the Shepherds. 

A third annunciation is reported in the Gospel of 
Luke. Shepherds were watching their flocks at night 
on the hillsides near Bethlehem. " The glory of the 
Lord shone round about them." 1 This glory is the light 
in which the Lord manifests himself in theophany. It 
is a theophany to attend the birth of the Messiah, as we 
have already had a theophany at his conception in the 
womb of the Virgin. Such theophanies are frequently 
mentioned in the story of the Exodus. 2 Out of the 
midst of the heavenly light an angel of the Lord ap- 



Briefean die Thess. und an die Korinther, s. 168) the epistles to the Corinthians 
teach an early stage of the doctrine of the pre- existence of Jesus in the second 
Adam from heaven, 1 Cor. xv. 45-47 ; the head of humanity, 1 Cor. xi. 3 ; and es- 
pecially in the self-impoverishment of the rich Messiah, 2 Cor. viii. 9. This more 
primitive form of the doctrine of the pre-existence of the Messiah is still in ad- 
vance of the doctrine of this annunciation. This annunciation of a theophanic 
birth is really a simpler conception and one more in accordance with the represen- 
tations of the Old Testament, than the sending of the Son of God when born of 
a woman, of Rom. viii. 3 ; Gal. iv. 4. It is true that none of these passages 
teach a virgin conception and birth ; but they teach or imply more than the 
virgin birth, namely, the pre-existence of the Messiah before his entrance into the 
world. All these will come into consideration in their proper place in this 
work. 

1 Luke ii. 9. 

2 Exod. xvi. 10; xxiv. 16-17 ; Lev. ix. 23 ; Num. xiv. 10; xvi. 19. 



52 THE MESSIAH 

peared and stood by them. He made the annunciation 
of the birth of the Messiah. 

Be not afraid, 

For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy 

Which shall be to all the people : 

For a Saviour ' is born unto you to-day, 

Who is Messiah, Lord, 2 in the city of David : 3 

And this is the sign unto you ; 

Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 

And lying in a manger. (Luke ii. 10-12.) 

This song of the angel is immediately followed by a 
refrain in two lines sung by a heavenly choir, " a multi- 
tude of the heavenly host." 

Glory to God in the highest, 

And en earth, peace among men in whom he is well 
pleased. 4 (Luke ii. 14.) 

This song of the angel begins, as the other songs, 
with calming the fears of the agitated shepherds. The 
message is for them as representatives of Bethlehem, the 
ancient shepherd city whence David had gone forth to 
be the shepherd of Israel. But the glad tidings were 
for all the people ; and it was their high calling to take 
up the angelic message and proclaim it as the first mes- 
sengers, to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the cities of 
Judah, that the Messiah had come. The Messiah now 
born in Bethlehem, lying as a babe in the manger, 



iff«r#p=JH5HD cf. yiE^iT above. 

2 XP L<JT °S Kxiptoq cf . Psalter of Solomon, xvii. 4, see p. 34 ; XP LGT ° V SaacXia, 
Luke xxiii. 2 ; Kvpiov /cat xP ia ™ v > Acts u - 3 6 - 

a The order of the Greek and the structure of the lines of the poem force to 
this rendering. The R. V. disregards both of these guides. 

4 EvdoKia=]y$l acceptance with God. Jesus at his baptism was the Son of 
God in whom He was well-pleased evtidKtjoa, Matt. iii. 17 1 Luke in. 22. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 53 

wrapped in swaddling clothes, was Lord and Saviour. 
The Messiah was Lord, in accordance with the Psalter: 

Utterance of Yahweh to my Lord : Sit enthroned at my right 

hand 
Till I make thine enemies a stool for thy feet : 
The rod of thy strength Yahweh sendeth out of Zion : 
Rule in the midst of thine enemies. (Ps. ex. i, 2.) 

The Messiah was born in the city of David, but not in 
the palace of David. He was born of the royal line, but 
of a house that had been dethroned, and that had now 
so long lived in obscurity that the heir attracted little, if 
any, attention. But the promises of God are sure, even 
if long delayed as to their realization. This babe is the 
son and heir of David, and a heavenly proclamation and 
chorus of angels assure them that he is the Lord, the 
long expected Messiah. He is to be a Saviour. This 
is an attribute of the Messiah throughout. He was 
usually looked for as a national Saviour, to subdue all 
enemies, and reign on the throne of David as King and 
Lord. The deeper meaning of Saviour these shepherds 
could hardly understand as yet. The chorus is a proc- 
lamation of peace to the world. It was one of the chief 
features of the Messiah's work, to establish peace, ac- 
cording to the Prophets. 

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, 

And the horse from Jerusalem, 

And the battle-bow will be cut off ; 

And he will speak peace to the nations : 

And his rule will be from sea to sea, 

And from the river unto the ends of the earth. (Zech. ix. 10.) 

Isaiah names the Messianic King " Prince of Peace." ' 

1 Is. ix. 6. 



54 THE MESSIAH 

But probably it is the prediction of Micah which is 
chiefly in mind here. 

And thou Bethlehem Ephrathah, 

Little to be among the thousands of Judah, 

Out of thee will come forth for me 

One who is to become ruler in Israel, 

Whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days. 

And he will stand and act as shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, 

In the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God , 

And they will abide ; for now he will become great 

Unto the ends of the earth. 

And this one will be Peace. (Micah v. 2, 4.) 

The Messiah is the Saviour, and his mission is one of 
peace. But there can be no peace to the wicked. Peace 
is for those who recognize Jesus as the Messiah, accept 
his salvation, and gladly submit in love to his heavenly 
dominion. All who enter the kingdom of the Messiah, 
and love and serve him as King, Saviour, and Lord, are 
well pleasing to God, and enjoy the beatitude of heav- 
enly peace. 

THE SONGS OF THE MOTHERS. 

§11. The Virgin Mary is to be the mother of the Lord, 
Messiah, and is to be pronounced blessed by all nations. 
God remembers the mercy promised to the seed of the 
patriarchs. 

The spirit of prophecy entered into the mothers of the 
Messianic babes, and prophecy in the form of sacred 
song burst from their lips. The first to sing the songs 
of the new covenant was the mother of the herald. 

The Song of Elizabeth. 
The Virgin Mary, in response to the angelic message, 
departed from Nazareth of Galilee and went to visit her 
kinswoman Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah. The 






OF THE FORERUNNERS 55 

meeting of the mothers was enveloped in a halo of sanc- 
tity and glory by the presence and power of the Holy 
Spirit, who took possession of both of them, filled their 
hearts with joy, and gave them utterance in sacred song. 
Elizabeth lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said : 

Blessed art thou among women, 

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 

And whence is this to me, 

That the mother of my Lord ] should come to me ? 

For behold, when the voice of thy salutation 

Came into mine ears, 

The babe leaped for joy in my womb. 

And blessed is she who believed 

That there will be a fulfillment 

To those things spoken to her from the Lord. 2 (Luke i. 42-45.) 

Elizabeth, under the influence of the Divine Spirit, 
here sees the Virgin already the mother of the Messiah, 
and on that account the mother of the lord and king 
of her babe and of herself. The mother of the Messiah 
now in her presence is a pledge of his advent and all the 
joy and blessedness involved therein. The faith of the 
Virgin is praised, assurance is given her that the word of 
the angel will be fulfilled, and, in view of that fulfillment, 
she is recognized as the most blessed among women. 

The Song of the Virgin. 

Under the influence of the Divine Spirit the Virgin 
at once responds to the song of Elizabeth. 3 



» This as the Kvpioq above is in the sense of the ^"IX Ps. ex. 1. 

2 The lines of this piece of poetry are more obscure than usual in the Greek. 
A re-translation into the original removes the difficulties for the most part and 
makes the poetry evident. 

3 This song has ever been used in the Christian Church. It is called in the 
Latin Church the Magnificat, in accordance with the custom to name pieces after 
the word that begins them. Magnificat was the first word of the piece in the 
ancient Latin version of it. 



56 THE MESSIAH 

This song of the Virgin is full of the spirit and lan- 
guage of the song of Hannah, 1 the mother of Samuel. 
It must have been a favorite hymn with Mary. Doubt- 
less the similarity of situation and circumstance recalled 
its language to her mind and heart. 2 

My soul magnifieth the Lord, 

And my spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour. 

For he looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden : 

For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 

For the Almighty doth great things for me ; 

And Holy is his name. 

And his mercy is unto generations of generations 

On them that fear him. 

He doth work strength with his arm ; 

He doth scatter the proud in the imagination of their heart. 

He doth put down princes from thrones, 

And doth exalt the lowly. 

The hungry he doth fill with good things, 

And the rich he doth send empty away. 

He doth help Israel his servant, 

That he might remember mercy, 

As he spake unto our fathers, 

Toward Abraham and his seed forever. (Luke i. 46-55.) 

Mary conceives of redemption after the more ethical 
manner of the song of Hannah and the more personal 
relations of the Psalmists. 

•THE SONGS OF THE FATHERS. 

§ 12. God remembers his holy covenant, visits and works 
redemption, and raises up a horn of salvation in the house 
of David. John is the prophet to prepare the way of 
the Lord, who will come as a day-spring to guide i?i the 



1 Sam. ii. 1-10. 

2 See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, pp. 124, 125, for a translation of the song of 
Hannah. 



OF THE FOKERUNNERS 57 

way of peace. Jesus will be for the rise and fall of many^ 
a sign to be spoken against. 

The priest Zacharias had remained dumb from the time 
of the annunciation in the temple until the birth of his 
son. On the day of the circumcision of the child who was 
to herald the Advent, and in connection with giving the 
name of the boy, " his mouth was opened immediately, 
and his tongue loosed, and he spake, blessing God." ' 

The Song of Zacharias. 

The Holy Spirit entered into Zacharias and filled him 
with the spirit of prophecy. 2 

I. 

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, 

For he doth visit, and work redemption for his people, 

And raise up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of his serv- 
ant David. 

As he spake by the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets, of old ; 3 

Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate 
us ; 

To show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember his holy 
covenant ; 

The oath which he sware, unto Abraham our father, 



1 Luke i 64. 

2 He gave utterance to a hymn which has been ever used in the Christian 
Church as the Benedictus. This hymn is difficult to arrange in its lines and 
strophes because of the changes that have been made in translation, and authori- 
ties are somewhat divided. It seems to me that the original was a poem of the 
pentameter movement. The lines are longer than those in the songs of the angels 
and the songs of the mothers, and are like the pentameter pieces of the Old Tes- 
tament, each line having a carsura, so that the second half of the line is comple- 
mentary to the first half. Some divide this into five stropes, e. g., vers. 68, 
69 ; 70-72 ; 73-75 ; 76, 77 ; 78, 79. See Holzmann, Die Synoptiker, s. 36. 
But it seems better to divide it into two strophes. 

• The line is not clear in the Greek. There must have been an Aramaic 
original. 



58 THE MESSIAH 

To grant unto us to be without fear, being delivered out of the 

hand of our enemies, 
To serve him in holiness and righteousness before him all our 

days. 1 

II. 

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High ; 

For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his 
ways; 

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, in the remis- 
sion of their sins, 

Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring 
from on high hath visited us, 

To shine upon them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of 
death ; 

To guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke i. 68-79.) 

The first strophe blesses God for the fulfilment of the 
promise to David, and looks for the fulfilment of the 
Abrahamic covenant ; and the second strophe predicts 
the ministry of his son John as the herald of the Messiah. 
Zacharias weaves together the predictions of a number 
of the psalms and prophets. 

In the first strophe 2 Zacharias begins with a line from 
the doxologies of the Psalter. He then, thinking of the 
covenant with David, uses the language of the Psalmist : 

There will I cause a horn to sprout for David, 
I have prepared a lamp for mine anointed 
His enemies will I clothe with shame ; 
But upon him his crown will be brilliant. 

(Ps. cxxxii. 17, 18.) 



1 The arrangement of lines in this strophe differs somewhat from that given in 
the Revised Version. The Revised Version breaks up several pentameters into 
two lines each. The chief difference is that the Revised Version gives three lines 
for lines 5 and 6 of this strophe. It attaches the adverb " without fear " to the 
verb "serve." But the Greek text of Westcott and Hort, which I follow, gives 
this adverb in the midst of the previous line. This gives a better poetical move- 
ment, and makes the caesuras evident in both lines. 

2 Pss. lxxii. 18 ; cvi. 48. 






OF THE FORERUNNERS 59 

The visitation is in answer to the prayer : 

O God, Sabaoth turn now, look from heaven, 
See and visit this vine ; 

And protect that which thy right hand planted, 
And be over the branch thou hast strengthened for thyself. 

(Ps. lxxx. 14, 15.) 

He then sees the fulfilment of the Abrahamic cove- 
nant, which pervades the Old Testament like a golden 
thread upon which many promises and predictions are 
hung. The promise was made to Abraham before he 
migrated to the promised land. It was the charter of 
his inheritance. 

And I will make thee a great nation. 
And I will bless thee and make thy name great ; 
Therefore be thou a blessing, 
And I will bless those blessing thee ; 
And those making light of thee shall I curse : 
And all the clans of the earth will bless themselves with thee. 

(Gen. xii. 1-3.) 

This promise was taken up into a covenant, and sealed 
with the sign of circumcision, 1 and finally confirmed by 
a divine oath. 

The second strophe is a prediction of the work of his 
child as a herald of the Messiah. Several passages of the 
Old Testament give him the basis for his hopes. As the 
prophet of the Most High, going before the face of the 
Lord, and preparing his way, he is to fulfil the predic- 
tions of Isaiah and Malachi : 

Hark! one proclaiming, in the wilderness, Clear the way of 

Yahweh, 
Level in the desert a highway for our God. 



Gen. xvii.; xxii. 15-18. 



60 THE MESSIAH 

Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be de- 
pressed, 

And the crooked place become straight, and the rugged place a 
plain, 

And the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all flesh will see 
it together. (Is. xl. 3-5.) ' 

The day-spring has been referred by some to the 
branch a of Old Testament prophecy, because branch is 
rendered in the LXX. Version by the same Greek word 
that is given in our text and translated here " day- 
spring." But the original of our song was in the Ara- 
maic language, and the subsequent context favors the 
more natural reference to the springing up of the light 
of the sun. 3 The last two lines, referring to the Messiah 
as the great light, are based upon Isaiah : 

The people that walk in darkness do see a great light ; 
Those dwelling in a land of dense darkness, light doth shine 
upon them. (Isa. ix. 2.) 

In the context of Isaiah the great light comes from 
the person of the Messiah — the Prince of Peace — and so, 
in the song of Zacharias, the shining of the light guides 
into the way of peace. 

The Song of Simeon. 

In accordance with the Mosaic law, Jesus, as the first- 
born son, was presented before God in the temple at 
Jerusalem. 4 An aged father in Israel is awaiting the 
advent of the Messiah, having the witness of the Divine 
Spirit that he will see him before departing this life. 
The aged Simeon, representing the best type of Old 
Testament piety, standing on the heights of Messianic 



1 Comp. Mai. iii. i-iv. 5. 2 j e r. xxiii. 5 ; xxxiii. 15 ; Zech. iii. 8. 

:t As in Mai. iv. 2 ; comp. Is. Ix. 1. 

* Ex. xiii. 12 ; xxii. 29 ; Num. xviii. 15, 16. 






OF TSE FORERUNNERS Ql 

expectation, receives the child Jesus into his arms, in the 
court of the temple, and, under the inspiration of proph- 
ecy, sings a song of praise and a song of sorrow. 1 

I. 

Now lettest thou thy servant depart, O Lord, 

According to thy word, in peace ; 

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples ; 

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, 

And the glory of thy people Israel. 

II. 

Behold this one is set for the falling, 

And the rising of many in Israel ; 

And for a sign which is spoken against ; 

Yea, and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul ; 

That thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. 

(Luke ii. 29-35.) 

The Messianic salvation is the theme of the first 
strophe. This is seen in its double aspect, a light for 
revelation to the nations of the world, and the glory of 
Israel. Simeon doubtless had in mind the prophecies 
of the second Isaiah. 

I, Yahweh, have called thee in righteousness, 
In order to hold thine hand and to keep thee, 
And to give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the 
nations, (xlii. 6.) 

It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant 

To raise up the tribes of Jacob, 

And to restore the preserved of Israel ; 

I will therefore give thee for a light to the nations, 

To become my salvation unto the end of the earth, (xlix. 6.) 



1 The first part of his song is the Nunc Pimitlis, so called from the first words 
of the Latin translation. This has ever been used in the liturgical service of the 
Christian Church. The second part of the song is usually given as prose in the 
versions : 



62 THE MESSIAH 

I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh, 

Let my soul be joyful in my God ; 

For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, 

He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, 

As a bridegroom putteth on a priest's turban, 

And as a bride adorned herself with her jewels. 

For as the earth bringeth forth her increase, 

And as a garden causeth that which is planted in it to spring 

forth, 
So will Yahweh cause righteousness to spring forth, 
And praise before all nations, (lxi. 10, n.) 

The second strophe unfolds the salvation of the Mes- 
siah in the testing that it makes, and in the sorrow that 
will be involved, especially to the mother. Here Simeon 
catches a glimpse of the suffering Messiah as the one 
who takes away the sin of the world. It was indeed only 
natural that the predictions of the second Isaiah as to 
the salvation of the Messianic servant, which were at the 
bases of his song, should lead the mind up to the suffer- 
ing Messiah who was the centre of them all. The sword 
that pierces the Virgin's soul was the agony that she 
was to experience in the passion of our Lord when she 
saw him 

Despised, and forsaken of men ; 

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; 

And as one before whom there is a hiding of the face, 

Despised, and we regarded him not ! 

But he was one pierced because of our transgressions, 
Crushed because of our iniquities ; 
The chastisement for our peace was upon him ; 
And by his stripes there is healing for us. 

And among his contemporaries who was considering, 

That he was cut off from the land of the living, 

Because of the transgression of my people he had the blow? 



OF THE FORERUNNERS (53 

With the wicked his grave was assigned, 

And with the rich in his martyr death ; 

Although he had done no violence, 

And there was no deceit in his mouth. (Is. liii. 3, 5, 8-9.) 

It seems also that Simeon had in mind the test stone 
of the first Isaiah. 1 

Thus a strain of sorrow mingles with the thanksgiving 
of the departing saint who represents so well the depart- 
ing dispensation of the old covenant. It is said that 
Anna also praised God and spoke of the child Jesus to 
all who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem. 2 

THE HERALD OF THE MESSIAH. 

§ 13. John the Baptist heralded the advent of God and 
his kingdom. He taught that Jesus was mightier than 
himself ; that he would baptize with the Holy Spirit and 
with fire, and would wield the fan of judgment on his 
threshing floor. Jesus was the lamb of God that taketh 
away the sin of the world. 

Some thirty years after the events underlying these 
songs, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of 
Judea declaring that the kingdom of God was at hand, 
that he was the herald of the Messiah, and instituting 
the baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins. 
The four evangelists agree in giving an account of this 
introductory ministry of the Baptist. It belongs to the 
earliest Christian tradition and the earliest Gospels. 
Their reports are essentially the same as to the main 
features, but each of them has material not contained in 
the others. The new institution of the baptism of re- 
pentance is common to them all. The preacher called 
the people to repentance as the true preparation for 



1 Is. xxviii. 16. a Luke ii.38. 



64 THE MESSIAH 

their God ; he baptized them with water as a public 
solemn testimony and seal of this repentance, and he set 
before them the remission of sins as the aim of the re- 
pentance and the baptism. John the Baptist conceives 
of the advent as an advent in judgment, for which re- 
pentance and remission are the necessary preparations. 
Hence it is that the Baptist appears as the herald of the 
divine advent predicted in Malachi and in the great 
prophet of the exile. 

Behold I send my messenger before thy face, who shall pre- 
pare thy way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make 
ye ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every 
valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought 
low ; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways 
smooth : and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 1 

These translations differ from the original text in sev- 
eral important particulars, 2 but not so as in any way to 
dull the points of the citations. The advent is the ad- 
vent of Yahweh ; it is an advent in the glory of redemp- 
tion and of judgment. It is an advent of judgment for 
the wicked, and of redemption for the righteous people. 
God is to lead them into the holy land, and before him 
all nature is transformed. This advent is heralded by a 



i These passages are a mosaic from the three evangelists, Matth. iii. 3 ; Lk. i. 
2, 3 ; Lk. iii. 4, 5 ; John i. 23. The first sentence is given only by Mark, who 
cites it from Isaiah. The evangelist, however, mistakes his reference, for it is 
from Malachi iii. 1. The citation is free, for it differs from the LXX. as well as 
the Hebrew. It was made probably from an oral Aramaic targum. The second 
sentence is given by the three synoptists. It is nearer to the LXX. than the 
Hebrew. John's Gospel condenses this sentence. The last sentence is given only 
by Luke. It also is closer to the LXX. than to the Hebrew. The two extracts 
were probably from an Aramaic original. The movement of the Hebrew poetry 
of the original was destroyed by these translations, and the R. V. is incorrect in 
its arrangement of the lines which do not correspond with the rhythm of Isaiah 
xl. 3-5. See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, pp 375, 473. 

3 See Toy, Quotations in the New Testament, p. 16. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 65 

special messenger, whose office is to prepare the way, to 
proclaim the approach of the great king. John the 
Baptist was this herald, and it is a divine advent that 
he has in view, an advent chiefly in judgment, but a 
judgment that implies redemption to the people of 
God. 

In accordance with this conception of his mission, the 
few discourses of the Baptist that have been preserved 
in the three synoptic evangelists are words of warning. 
They assume the poetic form, as was usual with the 
prophets of the Old Testament : 

Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you 

To flee from the wrath to come ? 

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance ; 

And think not to say within yourselves, 

We have Abraham to our father : 

For I say unto you, that God is able 

Of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 

And even now is the axe laid unto the root of the trees : 

Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit 

Is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 1 

This passage of Matthew and Luke had a common 
source in the original Aramaic Gospel of Matthew. It 
has all the features of a trimeter poem. Matthew ap- 
plies it to the Pharisees and Sadducees, to whom, in- 
deed, it seems most appropriate. But Luke gives it a 
more general reference to the multitudes. This is all 
the more striking in view of his specification of publi- 
cans and soldiers in the warnings of the Baptist pre- 
served by him alone. It seems most probable that 
the original source contained only the sayings of the 



1 Matth. iii. 7-10 is identical with Luke iii. 7-9 with the exception of napirbv 
agtov for Kai)Troi>g a<-lovg and 66^rjTt for ipfrofc ver. 8, and that Luke inserts 
Kal in ver. 9. Matthew's text is preferable. 



I 



06 THE MESSIAH 

Baptist without the explanatory remarks. The addi- 
tional sentences given by Luke are : 

He that hath two coats, 

Let him impart to him that hath none ; 

And he that hath food, 

Let him do likewise. (Luke iii. 11.) 

To the publicans he said : 

Extort no more than that which is appointed you. 

(Luke iii. 13.) 
To the soldiers he said : 

Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrong- 
fully ; 
And be content with your wages. (Luke iii. 14.) 

These sayings were probably derived from another 
source than the Aramaic Matthew. Luke represents in 
his introduction that he used many sources. 1 These 
are specimens given by the Baptist of the fruits of 
repentance such as were required in preparation for 
the advent of God in judgment. He sees that the axe is 
already lying at the root of the dead trees, and is about 
to cut them down. The fire is ready to consume them. 
The true children of Abraham, the heirs of the promises 
of God, will abide ; God will provide for that. Even 
the stones of the wilderness are more likely to produce 
living children of Abraham than such fruitless trees and 
venomous serpents as the Pharisees and their disciples. 
The day of wrath, the Day of Yahweh, predicted by the 
prophets of the Old Testament, is at hand ; and those 
who do not prepare themselves for it by true repentance 
have every reason to dread it, and flee away from it. 

Matthew, 2 in accordance with his custom, adds anoth- 
er discourse of the Baptist to the previous one with- 



1 Luke i. 1-4. a Matt. iii. n, 12. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS £7 

out comment or mark of separation. Luke ' gives it on 
another occasion in response to the people, who inquired 
whether John was the Messiah. Mark 2 gives it in an 
abridged form, as the theme of his preaching. John 3 
also gives it in a shortened form, in response to an 
inquiry of the Pharisees whether he was Elijah, the 
Messiah, or the expected prophet. A careful study of 
these four parallel passages makes it probable that the 
original Aramaic discourse would be as follows : 

I indeed baptize you with water ; 

But he that is mightier than I cometh after me, 

Whose shoes I am unworthy to untie : 

He will baptize you with fire. 

Whose fan is in his hand, 

Thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor; 

And to gather the wheat into his garner ; 

But the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. 4 

In this discourse the Baptist looks again at the judg- 
ment of fire. The chaff will be consumed here, as the 



i Luke iii. 16, 17. 2 Mark i. 7, 8. 3 John i. 26, 27. 

* The first four lines are common to the four evangelists. Disregarding the 
differences in order of words in the sentences, Matthew alone gives "unto re- 
pentance." Matthew and John use the preposition "in " before " water." Mark 
alone uses the aorist "baptized." Luke's text is to be preferred in the first 
line. In the second line, Matthew and John use the participle " coming," Mark 
and Luke the present "cometh." All use "after me" but Luke. In the third 
line, the text of Luke is best. John uses a final clause for the infinitive of Mark 
and Luke. Mark inserts "stoop down," and Matthew substitutes "to bear." 
" Latchet" is given by all but Matthew ; it is an amplification for greater distinct- 
ness. John uses " worthy " for " sufficient" of the three others. Mark and John 
do not give " and with fire " of Matthew and Luke. " Fire " is best suited to 
the context. •' Holy Spirit " was probably an explanation of the fire, in two of 
the evangelists substituted for it, in the other two inserted before it. This was 
due to reflection upon these words in connection with the descent of the Spirit 
on the day of Pentecost. The last four lines are given by Matthew and Luke. 
The only differences are in the use of infinitives of Luke for futures of Matthew. 
We prefer to follow Luke. This difference, as well as differences in order of 
words, is due to a different translation of the Aramaic original. 



<g THE MESSIAH 

dead wood was to be consumed in the previous passage. 
As the true children of Abraham were to abide there, so 
the wheat is to be gathered into the garner here. The 
fan of the threshing-floor takes the place of the axe of 
the woodman, in the figure of the act of judgment. 

The last four lines harmonize with the previous dis- 
course ; but the first four lines bring into view the con- 
ception of two baptisms: the one with water, the other 
with fire. The Baptist connects the baptism with fire 
and the judgment of fire without discrimination in time, 
just as the Old Testament prophets were accustomed to 
do. 1 In this particular he seems not to have advanced 
beyond them. The judgment of fire, with its redemp- 
tion of the people of God, is the theme of his preaching. 
Repentance and baptism with water are its preparations. 
The advent of God is connected, in the mind of the 
Baptist, with the advent of the Messiah. The Messiah 
comes to bestow this baptism of fire, and to exercise 
judgment. The Baptist seems to have in mind the ad- 
vent of the Son of Man in the cloud with the Ancient 
of Days and the fiery stream of the apocalypse of 
Daniel. 2 The evangelists after the day of Pentecost see 
in the fire the fiery tongues of the Holy Spirit as well as 
the fiery flame of the lake of fire of the judgment day. 

The Gospel of John tells of a closer recognition of 
Jesus by the Baptist : 

And Tohn bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit de- 
scending as a dove out of heaven ; and it abode upon him. And 
I knew him not : but he that sent me to baptize with water, he 
said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit de- 
scending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth 
with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen, and have borne witness 



1 Cf. Joel iii.; Ezek. xxxix. Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 488. 

2 Dan. vn. 9-12. 



OF THE FORERUNNERS 69 

that this is the Son of God. [And so the Baptist transfers his 
own disciples to Jesus with the words] : Behold, the Lamb of 
God, which taketh away the sin of the world ! (John i. 29-34.) 

The two sides of the work of the Advent were dis- 
tinctly foretold by the Baptist ; namely, the judgment 
and the redemption. He reiterates the ancient proph- 
ecies with reference to the judgment. 1 But in the doc- 
trine of redemption he advances in the line of the an- 
nunciations, and of his father Zachariah, and of Simeon, 
to a still more vivid conception of the Messiah as the 
victim, the sin-bearing and suffering Lamb of the great 
prophet of the exile, 2 Here the Baptist combines 
the judging Son of Man with the rejected prophetic 
servant. These two Messianic ideas, kept apart in the 
Old Testament, converge in his representation. His 
language is brief, enigmatic, and gives no explanation of 
the remarkable combination in his mind. This concep- 
tion of the Baptist is given only by the Gospel of John, 
preserved in the memory of the apostle who had heard 
it from the lips of the Baptist himself. 

These enigmatic words had pointed him to Jesus as 
in some way both the Messianic servant and the Son of 
Man, the mediator of the Day of the Lord, of the divine 
judgment, and of the redemption of the world. 

John the Baptist gives to his disciples a final testi- 
mony : 

Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Mes- 
siah, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is 
the bridegroom ; but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth 
and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's 
voice; this my joy therefore is made full. He must increase, 
but I must decrease. (John iii. 28-30.) 



1 Jsa. xli. 3-1 1 ; Mai. iii. a Isa. liii. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE MESSIAH OF MARK. 

THE Gospels give glimpses of the life and teaching of 
Jesus from four different points of view. Mark is the 
simplest and the earliest in composition. Almost all 
that is given in Mark reappears in Matthew and Luke; 
both of these Gospels using the earlier Mark. Matthew 
is distinguished by long discourses of Jesus upon several 
great themes. We find very much the same matter in 
other connections in Luke; but only a limited portion 
of it in Mark. It is evident that the Gospel of Matthew 
has grouped the words of Jesus about several themes. 
As it depended chiefly upon Mark for the historical ma- 
terial, it also depended on the Logia of Matthew for 
these discourses. The Logia of Matthew is the collec- 
tion chiefly of the sayings of Jesus made by the apostle 
Matthew in the Aramaic language, according to the testi- 
mony of Papias. 1 This Logia was lost at an early date, 
but the most if not all of its contents are in the Gospels 
of Matthew and Luke. Luke gives them more in the 
circumstances of their utterance. The Gospel of Mat- 
thew arranged them in a topical order without regard to 
these circumstances. These discourses of Jesus from 
the Logia of Matthew are rich and pregnant with Mes- 



1 See p. 41. 

(70) 



OF MARK 71 

sianic material. The Gospel of Matthew gives other say- 
ings of Jesus and reports other acts of Jesus, which were 
taken probably from other sources, written or oral. The 
Gospel of Luke uses the historical material of Mark, 
gives the sayings from the Logia of Matthew their orig- 
inal setting, but it also gives original matter not found 
in the other evangelists. It is probable that this mate- 
rial was chiefly derived from a third written source. It 
is evident that Luke seeks historic connection for the 
life and words of Jesus. He arranges in an orderly chron- 
ological and geographical method, distinguishing the 
ministry in Galilee, in Samaria, in Perea, and in Jeru- 
salem. 

The Gospel of John is different from the other three, 
in that the material is chiefly new. It gives us more the 
esoteric teaching of Jesus and events of a more private 
and personal character, all bearing the marks of deep 
and thorough reflection upon the person and life of 
Jesus. 

In the study of the gospels there is a constant ad- 
vance in conception, in the order, Mark, Matthew, Luke, 
John. But the advance from Luke to John is much 
greater than that between the three other evangelists, 
so much so that the three are grouped by scholars as 
the synoptics over against John, which stands apart by 
itself. 

The different methods of composition of the evangel- 
ists, their difference in conception, and their difference 
in the order and grouping of material, are not favorable 
to a systematic study of the Messianic idea of Jesus. 
There are several methods that might be pursued in 
dealing with it. 

(i). We might inquire how far the Jesus of the Gospels 
was the Messiah of the Old Testament, and then study 



72 THE MESSIAH 

his predictions on the basis of that inquiry. The diffi- 
culty in this method is that his predictions relate to his 
own sufferings, death, and resurrection which are included 
in the evidences of the Messiahship. 

(2). We might group the whole question of the Messi- 
anic predictions of Jesus and the Messianic fulfilment 
of Jesus about the Messianic ideals of the Old Testa- 
ment. This is a tempting method, but in its use there 
are several disadvantages. The chief of these is that the 
Messianic idea of Jesus would be dominated by the re- 
sults of the synthesis of the Old Testament. The Messi- 
anic idea of Jesus is so original, extensive, and profound, 
that it should be studied by itself and shaped by its own 
internal principles. 

(3). We might first study the Messianic idea of Jesus, 
as it is given in the Gospels, and then in this light in- 
quire how far the Messiah of the Gospels is the Messiah 
of the Old Testament. We shall construct our material 
in accordance with this method. But this method might 
be used in several ways. The material given in the dis- 
courses of Jesus in the form of prediction is greater than 
we find in any prophet of the Old Testament. It is so 
great in amount and so various in form that it is neces- 
sary to divide it into several chapters. 

(a). We would prefer some chronological scheme. 
But such a chronological scheme is sufficiently difficult 
in the study of the life of the Messiah. It is still more 
difficult when we have to put his discourses in their his- 
torical relations. Any attempt to do this burdens us 
with numberless questions of historical criticism where 
it is impossible at present to attain definite results in 
some of the most important passages. Many attempts 
have been made to trace a development in the Messianic 
consciousness of Jesus and in his doctrine of the king- 



OF MARK Y3 

dom of God, but none of these have found favor. It 
seems impracticable in the present stage of the criticism 
of the Gospels to give an accurate and comprehensive 
statement of such a development. It is sufficiently diffi- 
cult if the study is limited to the synoptics. It is at 
present impossible if the Gospel of John is included in 
the study. 1 The Gospel of Luke seems to have tried 
the chronological method and to have succeeded only in 
part. We are not likely to be more successful. 

(b). An effort might be made to group the Messianic 
material about several great themes, such as the King- 
dom of God, the Rejected Messiah, the Messianic Judg- 
ment, and the Messiah from Heaven. But this method 
has its difficulties. These topics cannot be so distinctly 
separated without injury to the unity of many of the 
themes. A considerable amount of repetition is una- 
voidable under the several heads. Omissions and reser- 
vations constantly occur. This indeed is the method 
pursued in the Gospel of Matthew in his use of the say- 
ings of Jesus. But even Matthew did not consistently 
use it. The other evangelists used other methods. How 
then can we reduce them all to Matthew's method ? 

(c). The simplest and easiest method seems on the 
whole to be the best, at least for the purpose of this 
volume. We shall follow the method of the Gospels 
themselves and give the Messiah of each by itself. The 
Messianic idea of the Gospel of Mark will be first studied 
in Chapter III. This is for the most part the earliest 
Christian tradition, and it is found likewise in the paral- 
lel passages of Matthew and Luke. These parallel pas- 
sages have been derived by our Matthew and Luke from 
the original Mark, and have been edited in their larger 



Wendt, Lelire Jesu, ii. s. 318, 319. 



74 THE MESSIAH 

gospels, sometimes in new relations and with variations 
due to explication, or to abridgment, or to subsequent 
reflection in the light of other circumstances and events. 
In some cases a Messianic reference is found in one of 
the parallels that is absent from Mark. In such a case 
the Messianic reference is probably due to later reflec- 
tion, or other sources of information. Inasmuch as our 
purpose at present is to consider the Messianic idea, we 
propose to use such parallels under the head of that 
gospel in which the Messianic reference appears. The 
Apocalypse of Jesus stands out so prominently by itself 
in Mark and its parallels in Matthew and Luke, and is 
so important in its exposition, that we shall treat it in 
Chapter IV. The Messianic idea of Jesus presented in 
the Gospel of Matthew, so far as it is not included in 
Mark, will next be considered in Chapter V. This ma- 
terial, not given by Mark, but added by Matthew to the 
common tradition in Mark, was derived for the most 
part from the Aramaic Logia of Matthew, and appears 
with historical setting in the Gospel of Luke. This ma- 
terial has variations in language due in part to different 
translations of the same Aramaic original, and in part to 
different conceptions of the meaning and use of the ma- 
terial in these evangelists and to editorial modification 
of various kinds. It will be convenient to use in this 
same chapter the Messianic material peculiar to Mat- 
thew, for it is not certain how much of it was derived 
from the Logia and how much of it from other sources. 
The sixth chapter will be given to the Messianic mate- 
rial peculiar to the Gospel of Luke and derived by him 
from other sources. A seventh chapter will conclude 
with the Messiah of the Gospel of John. The mate- 
rial in the Gospels which may be regarded as giving the 
Messianic ideas of the authors of the Gospels, rather than 



OF MARK 75 

those of Jesus, will be considered in the eighth chapter, 
where the question will be determined whether and how 
far the Jesus of the Gospels fulfilled the Messianic ideals 
of the Old Testament. 

THE SON OF GOD. 

§ 14. Jesus was recognized at his baptism as the beloved 
and accepted son of God, the Messiah, by a theophany of 
the voice of God, and by the descent of the Holy Spirit 
from heaven in the form of a dove to abide with him. 

The Gospel of Mark begins the life of Jesus with the 
story of his baptism by John the Baptist, his forerunner 
and herald. This fundamental event is described in the 
four evangelists, each one giving additional information, 
rising from the simpler story of Mark to the fuller story 
of John. We give them in parallelism for comparison 
(see p. 76). 

The baptism of Jesus with the Holy Spirit was in ac- 
cordance with the prophet Isaiah, who predicts that the 
Divine Spirit will rest upon the Messianic king. 1 The 
great prophecy of the exile also predicts that the Mes- 
sianic servant will be anointed by the Spirit for his 
preaching. 2 But the coming of the Spirit upon Jesus 
was something more than these predictions. It was a 
coming of the Spirit in theophany, in the form of a dove. 
This is unique in the history of divine revelation. The 
dove, as a symbol of peace, was an appropriate form for 
the Spirit in the consecration of a prophet whose mes- 
sage was a gospel of peace, and of a king whose reign 
was to result in everlasting peace. 

Besides this consecration by the theophany of the 
dove, there was also a heavenly recognition by the the- 

1 Is. xi. 2. 2 Is. lxi. 1. 



rjQ THE MESSIAH 

ophany of a voice. This voice was the voice of God 
claiming Jesus as his son, his beloved son, the son with 
whom he was well pleased. This theophanic recogni- 
tion is beyond anything predicted in the Old Testament. 
Nowhere is it said that the Messiah would be claimed 
by a divine voice. It is commonly supposed that the 
Son of God is here to be understood in the theological 
sense of the second person of the Trinity, but this is ex- 

A. Mark i. 9-17. 

And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from 
Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. 
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens 
rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him : 
and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved 
Son, in thee I am well pleased. 

B. Luke iii. 21-22. 

Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, 
Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was 
opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a 
dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my 
beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased. 

C. Matth. iii. 13-17. 

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to 
be baptized of him. But John would have hindered him, saying, 
I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? 
But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now : for thus it 
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth 
him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway 
from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and 
he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon 
him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my be- 
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

D. John i. 32-34. 

And John bare witness, saying, T have beheld the Spirit de- 
scending as a dove out of heaven ; and it abode upon him. And 
I knew him not : but he that sent me to baptize in water, he 
said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit de- 
scending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in 
the Holv Spirit. And I have seen, and have borne witness that 
this is the Son of God. 






OF MARK 77 

tremely improbable. It is more probable that the Son 
of God is here used in the well-known Messianic sense, 
of the seed of David, and that the theophanic voice 
attests the Messiahship of Jesus, rather than his divinity. 
It is improbable that the divinity of Jesus was made 
known by a divine voice at the beginning of his ministry, 
to remain unknown during the greater part of his minis- 
try, and only gradually to be manifested toward the close 
of his life. It is true that we have the voice, the dove, 
and the son distinguished in this theophany, but this 
does not imply the divinity of the three. The divinity 
of the Son may be proven elsewhere ; it is not evident 
here. The Divine Spirit now appears for the first time 
in the development of divine revelation in a distinct 
theophanic individuality. In the Old Testament and in 
the revelations to the Forerunners the Divine Spirit was 
an energy of God, a mode of divine manifestation. Here 
the Divine Spirit is theophanic ; it has a distinct embod- 
iment in the form of a dove. This heavenly recognition 
of Jesus by the theophany sets him at once in a unique 
position as the Son of God, the significance of which 
will be disclosed in the development of the Messianic 
idea of Jesus and his apostles. We notice, however, that 
the relation here emphasized is an ethical relation and 
not a theocratic one. This then becomes the character- 
istic feature of the Messianic idea of Jesus. It is essen- 
tially ethical throughout. As Wendt well says : " Ac- 
cording to the conception of the Jews the Messianic 
king was also ' Son of God '; according to the conception 
of Jesus the 'Son of God' was as such the Messianic 
king." ' 

Matthew answers a later objection to the baptism of 



i Lehre Jesu, ii. s. 436. 



78 THE MESSIAH 

the Messiah by John, when he tells us of the hesitancy of 
John to baptize Jesus on account of his recognition of 
him as the Messiah. The Gospel of John tells us that 
the theophany of the Spirit was the sign, given John 
the Baptist by God, which would assure him that Jesus 
was indeed the Son of God. The reason for the bap- 
tism, as given by Matthew, was that the Messiah might 
" fulfil all righteousness "; that is, the highest of the 
divine requirements in preparation for the kingdom. 
The King would lead his people through the preparatory 
waters of baptism. Standing thus at the highest point 
of the righteousness of preparation, Jesus receives the 
recognition of the heavenly Father, and the baptism of 
the Divine Spirit, which endow him, as the Messiah, 
with the authority to baptize his disciples with the Holy 
Spirit. 

According to the Gospel of the Infancy, the immacu- 
late conception of Jesus and his birth at Bethlehem 
were both accompanied by theophanies. 1 We would 
expect a theophany to inaugurate his public ministry 
also. 

THE KINGDOM AT HAND. 

§15. Jesus declared that the time was fulfilled, and that 
the kingdom of God was at hand. 

Jesus began his public ministry by declaring the glad 
tidings already heralded by the Baptist. 

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent 
ye, and believe in the gospel. (Mark i. 15.) 

The report of Mark is fuller than Matthew 3 for it as- 
sociates faith with repentance and the fulfilment of the 
time with the kingdom. Matthew here, and elsewhere 



* See pp. 49. 5L a iv - J 7- 



OF MARK 79 

in his report of the discourses of Jesus, uses the term 
kingdom of heaven. From this we might infer that 
Jesus was in the habit of using both of these terms, 
kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven, as synonyms. 
The kingdom of heaven means, in the usage of Matthew, 
the kingdom that is heavenly in origin and in its seat of 
dominion. It is synonymous with the kingdom of God 
whose origin and dominion are in God. Heaven is the 
seat of the throne, and God is enthroned over this king- 
dom. It is probable, however, that Matthew is responsi- 
ble for the variation, and that he either unconsciously or 
designedly substituted the one for the other, because of 
his own preference, or because he thought that the king- 
dom of heaven was a more suitable term for his purpose 
in setting forth Jesus as the Messiah. 1 

We are not surprised that the terms kingdom of the 
Messiah or kingdom of David are absent, for the king- 
dom of God is a larger and more comprehensive term 
than the others. It was fitting that Jesus should declare 
the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of the 
Messiah, since in the usage of Old Testament prophecy 
the kingdom of the Son of God is the kingdom of God. 
Jesus declares that the kingdom of God is at hand. In 
this term, at hand, he takes up the preaching of the Old 
Testament prophets whose constant refrain is the near- 
ness of the day of Yahweh. 3 This term, in itself, would 



1 It is claimed by Schurer, Gesch.jiid. Volkes, II. 5. 454 ; Wendt, Lehre Jesu, 
ii. s. 299, et al , that the phrase " kingdom of heaven " in Matthew's usage was a 
substitution by Matthew of " heaven " for " God " after the Jewish fashion in those 
times, in accordance with the general reluctance to use divine names. Bey- 
schlag, Xeu Test. Theologie^ I. s. 41, rightly holds that it is the heavenly origin 
of the kingdom that is thought of in accordance with Dan. ii. 44, vii. 13, 14, but 
Beyschlag is probably wrong in ascribing the phrase to the words of Jesus in the 
Logia. It seems improbable that the other gospel? and the epistles would uni- 
formly use kingdom of God, if the original words of Jesus in the Logia were 
kingdom of heaven. 3 Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 53. 



80 



THE MESSIAH 



not imply any immediateness in the advent of the king- 
dom, measured in chronological numbers. But the par- 
allel expression given by Mark is more significant, for 
when Jesus said, the time is fulfilled, he means that the 
time prior to the advent of the kingdom has been filled 
out and is about to reach its end. The theme of the 
discourse is therefore the immediate advent of the king- 
dom. In view of this advent the people of Israel are to 
repent and have faith in the gospel, the message of the 
kingdom. 1 

THE AUTHORITY OF THE SON OF MAN. 

§ 1 6. Jesus had unique authority as the Son of Man, 
in his words and deeds, ever man, nature, and demons. 

The Gospel of Mark calls attention to the authority of 
Jesus in connection with his first preaching. 



Mark i. 22. 

And they were as 
ton i shed at his 
teaching : for he was 
teaching them 2 as 
having authority, 
and not as the 
scribes. 



Luke iv. 31-32. 

And he came down 
to Capernaum, a city 
of Galilee, and he 
was teaching them 
on the Sabbath day : 
and they were aston- 
ished at his teach- 
ing ; for his word 
was with authority. 



Matth. vii. 28-29. 

And it came to 
pass, when Jesus 
ended these words, 
the multitudes were 
astonished at his 
teaching : for he was 
teaching them as 
having authority, 
and not as their 
scribes. 



Mark i. 23-27. 

And straightway there was in 
their synagogue a man with an 
unclean spirit ; and he cried 
out, saying, What have we to 



Luke iv. 33-36. 

And in the synagogue there 
was a man that had a spirit of 
an unclean demon, and he cried 
out with a loud voice, Ah ! 



i Wendt, Lehre Jesu, ii. s. 307. 

2 //r duVicnuv. The three narratives use the same expression. It is correcUy 
given in the Revised Version of Luke, but neglected in the Revised Version of 
Mark and Matthew. 



OF MARK 



81 



do with thee, thou jesus of 
Nazareth? Art thou come to 
destroy us ? I know thee who 
thou art, the Holy One of God. 
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, 
Hold thy peace and come out 
of him. And the unclean spirit, 
tearing him and crying with a 
loud voice, came out of him. 
And they were all amazed, in- 
somuch that they questioned 
among themselves, saying : 
What is this ? a new teaching ! 
With authority he command- 
eth even the unclean spirits, 
and they obey him. 



what have we to do with thee, 
thou Jesus of Nazareth ? Art 
thou come to destroy us? I 
know thee who thou art, the 
Holy One of God. And Jesus 
rebuked him, saying, Hold thy 
peace, and come out of him. 
And when the demon had 
thrown him down in the midst, 
he came out of him, having 
done him no hurt. And amaze- 
ment came upon all, and they 
spake together, one with ano- 
ther, saying, What is this word ? 
For with authority and power 
he commandeth the unclean 
spirits, and they come out. 



The people were at the outset impressed by the teach- 
ing of Jesus. He taught with authority. He did not 
appeal to ancient authorities as was the custom of the 
rabbis in his time, 1 but he spake on his own authority. 
Mark and Luke call attention to it in connection with 
the discourse at Capernaum ; Matthew after his collec- 
tion of the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the 
Mount. 

With the same authority Jesus wrought his' miracles, 
in this respect differing from Moses and Elijah, who ap- 
pealed to God or used means appointed by God. The 
authority of Jesus was especially manifested in his cast- 
ing out of demons as at Capernaum, and at a later date 
in raising the dead. He needed not to call to God for 
help, or to use appointed instruments. His word of 
command was sufficient. The demons came forth from 
their wretched victims at the word of one whom they 
knew to be the Holy One of God. 

Jesus still further manifested his authority in granting 
absolution from sin, which no prophet had ever done 



1 Matt. v. 21 seq. 



82 



THE MESSIAH 



before him. This wonderful exhibition of authority is 
described by Mark in connection with another discourse 
at Capernaum. 



Mark ii. 1-12. 

And when he en- 
tered again into Ca- 
pernaum after some 
days, it was noised 
that he was in the 
house. And many 
were gathered toge- 
ther, so that there 
was no longer room 
for them, no, not even 
about the door : and 
he spake the word 
unto them. And they 
come, bringing unto 
him a man sick of 
the palsy, borne of 
four. And when 
they could not come 
nigh unto him for 
the crowd, they un- 
covered the roof 
where he was : and 
when they had 
broken it up, they 
let down the bed 
whereon the sick 
of the palsy lay. 

And Jesus seeing 
their faith saith unto 
the sick of the palsy, 
Son, thy sins are for- 
given. But there 
were certain of the 
scribes sitting there, 
and reasoning i n 
their hearts, Why 
doth this man thus 
speak? heblasphem- 
eth : who can forgive 
sins but one, even 
God ? And straight- 



Luke v. 17-26. 

And it came to 
pass on one of those 
days, that he was 
teaching; and there 
were Pharisees and 
doctors of the law 
sitting by, who were 
come out of every 
village of Galilee and 
Judaea and Jerusa- 
lem : and the power 
of the Lord was with 
him to heal. And 
behold, men bring 
on a bed a man that 
was palsied: and they 
sought to bring him 
in, and to lay him 
before him. And 
not finding by what 
way they might bring 
him in because of 
the multitude, they 
went up to the 
housetop and let him 
down through the 
tiles with his couch 
into the midst before 
Jesus. And seeing 
their faith, he said, 
Man, thy sins are 
forgiven thee. And 
the scribes and the 
Pharisees began to 
reason, saying, Who 
is this that speaketh 
blasphemies ? Who 
can forgive sins, but 
God alone? But 
Jesus perceiving 
their reasonings, an- 
swered and said unto 



Matthew ix. 1-8. 

And he entered 
into a boat, and 
crossed over, and 
came into his own 
city. And behold, 
they brought to him 
a man sick of the 
palsy, lying on a bed: 



and Jesus seeing 
their faith said unto 
the sick of the palsy, 
Son, be of good 
cheer ; thy sins are 
forgiven. And be- 
hold, certain of the 
scribes said within 
themselves, This man 
blasphemeth. And 
Jesus knowing their 
thoughts, said, 
Wherefore think ye 
evil in your hearts? 



OF MARK 



83 



way Jesus, perceiving 
in his spirit that they 
so reasoned within 
themselves, s a i t h 
unto them, Why rea- 
son ye these things 
in your hearts? 
Whether is easier, 
to say to the sick of 
the palsy, Thy sins 
are forgiven ; or to 
say, Arise, and take 
up thy bed, and 
walk? But that ye 
may know that the 
Son of Man hath au- 
thority on earth to 
forgive sins (he saith 
to the sick of the 
palsy), I say unto 
thee, Arise, take up 
thy bed, and go unto 
thy house. And he 
arose, and straight- 
way took up the bed, 
and went forth be- 
fore them all ; inso- 
much that they were 
all amazed, and glo- 
rified God, saying, 
We never saw it on 
this fashion. 



them, What reason 
ye in your hearts ? 
Whether is easier, to 
say, Thy sins are for- 
given thee ; or to 
say, Arise and walk ? 
But that ye may 
know that the Son 
of Man hath author- 
ity on earth to for- 
give sins (he said 
unto him that was 
palsied), I say unto 
thee, Arise, and take 
up thy couch, and 
go unto thy house. 
And immediately he 
rose up before them, 
and took up that 
whereon he lay, and 
departed to his 
house, glorifying 
God. And amaze- 
ment took hold on 
all, and they glori- 
fied God ; and they 
were filled with fear, 
saying, We have 
seen strange things 
to-day. 



For whether is 
easier, to say, Thy 
sins are forgiven ; or 
to say, Arise, and 
walk ? But that ye 
may know that the 
Son of Man hath au- 
thority on earth to 
forgive sins (then 
saith he to the sick 
of the palsy), Arise, 
and take up thy bed, 
and go unto thy 
house. And he 
arose, and departed 
to his house. But 
when the multitudes 
saw it, they were 
afraid, and glorified 
God, who had given 
such authority unto 
men. 



This assumption of the divine prerogative of forgive- 
ness of sins was blasphemous in the eyes of the Phari- 
sees. They could not deny the miracle, but they could 
refuse the miracle worker as a blasphemer working his 
miracles through evil supernatural influences. The 
authority to forgive sins, as here claimed and exercised 
by Jesus, must have struck the common people unpleas- 
antly. It was an authority which no one but God 
could exercise. Even the Messianic prediction of the 
Old Testament did not ascribe to the Messiah such 
authority. The Messianic King judges and punishes 



i 



84 THE MESSIAH 

the wicked, 1 but nowhere does he forgive sins. The 
Messianic prophet is a sin-bearer, a trespass-offering, 9 
the means of forgiveness ;. but the authority of forgive- 
ness is ever retained by God. The Son of Man of 
Daniel comes on the clouds of heaven to receive the 
kingdom from the Ancient of Days, but he has no 
earthly ministry. 3 The Son of Man of the Similitudes 
of Enoch has a heavenly pre-existence, but there is 
nothing to suggest a previous earthly life. 4 But Jesus 
here claims for the Son of Man an earthly ministry, and 
in that ministry the authority to forgive sins. Here for 
the first time, according to Mark, Jesus names himself 
the Son of Man. There can be little doubt that he used 
the name as a Messianic title, and that that title is based 
on its use in the Apocalypse of Daniel and probably 
also in the Apocalypse of Enoch. Jesus uses the term 
as his own familiar Messianic title, partly because it 
did not necessarily imply a Messianic meaning, and 
therefore was less likely to arouse prematurely opposi- 
tion against his ministry, 5 but chiefly because it was the 
term most suited to his earthly ministry. He used it 
with a new meaning, but that meaning easily attached 
itself to the Apocalyptic meaning which Jesus also uses 
later on in his ministry. Jesus indeed carries out the 
idea of the pre-existent Son of Man implied in Daniel ; 
but instead of teaching a heavenly pre-existence as in the 
Apocalypse of Enoch, he shows in his life and teachings 
a pre-existence in an earthly life, prior to his advent on 
the clouds of heaven. The advent on the clouds he 
subsequently referred to a second advent — the pre-exist- 
ent Son of Man he unfolds in his own life on earth. 



i Is. xi. 3, 4. 2 Is. liii. 3 Dan. vii. 13. * See p. 27 

6 "An incognito" Bruce, Kingdom 0/ God, p. 177. See also Wendt, Lekre 
Jest*) ii. s. 450 ; Adeney, Theology 0/ the New Testament ', p. 32. 



OF MARK 85 

Such authority to forgive sins either makes Jesus a 
blasphemer, as the Pharisees claimed, or else he was a 
Messiah of even greater authority than any presented 
in the Messianic ideals of the Old Testament. The 
Messianic Son of Man has an earthly ministry prior 
to his advent on the clouds, and an earthly ministry 
transcending all Messianic ideals of the Old Testa- 
ment. 

Jesus himself knew that it was as easy to forgive sins 
as to heal the paralytic, and that the authority to do the 
one involved the authority to do the other. It was not 
so much the healing as the authority with which it was 
accomplished. This witnessed to an authority which 
might even forgive sins also. It was the authority given 
in Daniel and Enoch to the enthroned Messiah, exer- 
cised in miracle-working, in teaching, and in forgiveness 
of sins by the Son of Man on earth, in the form of a 
meek and gentle prophet. 

The synoptists agree in another saying of Jesus re- 
specting the authority of the Son of Man in connection 
with the narrative of the disciples plucking grain on 
the Sabbath. 1 " The Son of Man is Lord of the Sab- 
bath." 

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath because he 
has authority over the Sabbath. This authority is, from 
the context of Mark, an authority to determine how the 
law of the Sabbath is to be interpreted in particular 
cases, and how it must yield to the higher law of the 
welfare of man. The authority of the Son of Man is 
thus exalted above the authority of the doctors of the 
law and of the traditional teaching of the rabbinical 
schools, because he was the Son of Man with divine 



I 



Mark ii. 23-28 ; Matthew xii. 1-8 ; Luke vi. 1-3. 



THE MESSIAH 



authority over the institutions and laws of the people of 
God. 1 

It was just this authority of Jesus in word and deed 
that troubled the Pharisees and stirred them up against 
him. In his last days in Jerusalem they demanded of 
him his warrant. 



Mark xi. 27-33. 

And they come 
again to Jerusalem ; 
and as hewas walking 
in the temple, there 
cometohim the chief 
priests, and the 
scribes, and the el- 
ders ; and they said 
unto him, By what 
authority doest thou 
these things? or who 
gave thee this au- 
thority to do these 
things ? And Jesus 
said unto them, I 
will ask of you one 
question, and answer 
me, and I will tell 
you by what author- 
ity 1 do these things. 
The baptism of John, 
was it from heaven, 
or from men? an- 



Matt. xxi. 23-27. 

And when he was 
come into the tem- 
ple, the chief priests 
and the elders of the 
people came unto 
him as he was teach- 
ing, and said, By 
what authority doest 
thou these things ? 
and who gave thee 
this authority ? And 
Jesus answered and 
said unto them, I 
also will ask you 
one question, which 
if ye tell me, I like- 
wise will tell you by 
what authority I do 
these things. The 
baptism of John, 
whence was it ? from 
heaven or from men ? 
And they reasoned 



Luke xx. 1-8. 

And it came to 
pass, on one of the 
days, as he was teach- 
ing the people in the 
temple, and preach- 
ing the gospel, there 
came upon him the 
chief priests and the 
scribes with the el- 
ders ; and they spake, 
sayingunto him, Tell 
us : By what author- 
ity doest thou these 
things? or who is he 
that gave thee this 
authority? And he 
answered and said 
unto them, I also will 
ask you a question; 
and tell me : The 
baptism of John, was 
it from heaven or 
from men ? And 



1 It is urged by Baldensperger (Das Selbstbewusstsein Jesu, s. 179 seg.) that 
these passages in which Jesus claims to be the Son of Man and asserts his author- 
ity as such, must be later than the confession of Peter. He thinks that Jesus 
would not have distinctly claimed to be the Messiah so long before the apostles 
recognized him as such. Accordingly, Baldensperger thinks the evangelists have 
put these incidents too early in the life of Jesus. There is no other evidence of 
such displacement than the theory which Baldensperger proposes. The title Son 
of Man was a Messianic title ; but it was not so clearly such as the Son of God, 
the Messiah ; and it was difficult for any one to associate the Son of Man of 
Daniel with an earthly life. Therefore Jesus used this Messianic term in the 
training of the twelve, to lead them up to the ultimate combination of the Son of 
Man with the Son of God, the Messiah. Until they made that combination they 
could hardly make the confession he desired from them. 



OF MARK 



87 



swer me. And they 
reasoned with them- 
selves, saying, If we 
shall say, From 
heaven ; he will say, 
Why then did ye not 
believe him ? But 
should we say, From 
men — they feared 
the people ; for all 
verily held John to 
be a prophet. And 
they answered Jesus 
and say, We know 
not. And Jesus saith 
unto them, Neither 
tell I you by what 
authority I do these 
things. 



with themselves, say- 
ing, If we shall say, 
From heaven ; he 
will say unto us, 
Why then did ye 
not believe him ? 
But if we shall say, 
From men ; we fear 
the multitude ; for 
all hold John as a 
prophet. And they 
answered Jesus, and 
said, We know not. 
He also said unto 
them, Neither tell 1 
you by what author- 
ity I do these things. 



they reasoned with 
themselves, saying, 
If we shall say, From 
heaven ; he will say, 
Why did ye not be- 
lieve him ? But if 
we shall say, From 
men ; all the people 
will stone us : for 
they are persuaded 
that John was a pro- 
phet. And they an- 
swered, that they 
knew not whence 
it was. And Jesus 
said unto them, 
Neither tell I you by 
what authority I do 
these things. 



The insincerity of the question of the Pharisees was 
developed by a counter question. Such insincerity re- 
ceives no answer. Jesus' authority might be questioned 
by the insincere and the enemies of the truth, but it 
needed no other warrant than its own exercise in words 
of blessing and deeds of mercy. Such warrant Jesus had 
given every day of his ministry. Such authority had 
its own credentials wrapped up in itself. It had been 
observed early in His ministry. It was a constant fea- 
ture of his ministry. Any sincere inquirer would re- 
ceive ample illustrations of it. Any sincere doubter 
would be overcome by invincible evidence. But for the 
insincere and the hostile no evidence is so convincing as 
to convict them of their insincerity, hostility, and incon- 
sistency. This Jesus does, and the very authority they 
question is discovered in the ease and grace with which 
he overcomes them. 



THE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM. 
§ 1 7. The kingdom is good seed sown in the field of the 
world by the preaching of the Gospel. It groivs in a secret, 



88 



THE MESSIAH 



gradual, and orderly manner from planting to harvest. 
It has the smallest beginnings, but an abundant harvest. 

Mark gives three parables of the kingdom — those of 
the sower, the seed growing secretly, and the grain of 
mustard seed ; the middle one being peculiar to his gos- 
pel. 1 Luke gives the sower alone in this connection, 2 
but the grain of mustard seed in another connection. 3 
Matthew gives the two in a larger group of nine, seven 
of which we shall consider in Chapter V. 4 

The parable of the sower is essentially the same in the 
three evangelists, only the details differ in their reports. 
This parable was interpreted to them by Jesus, and his 
interpretation of this parable is a model for the interpre- 
tation of others. 



Mark iv. 14-20. 

The sower soweth 
the word. And these 
are they by the way- 
side, where the word 
is sown ; and when 
they have heard, 
straightway cometh 
Satan, and taketh 
away the word which 
hath been sown in 
them. And these 
in like manner are 
they that are sown 
upon the rocky 
places, who, when 
they have heard the 
word, straightway 
receive it with joy ; 
and they have no root 
in themselves, but 
endure for a while : 



Matt. xiii. 19-23. 

When any one 
heareth the word of 
the kingdom, and un- 
derstandeth it 
not, then cometh 
the evil one, and 
snatcheth away that 
which hath been 
sown in his heart. 
This is he that was 
sown by the wayside. 
And he that was 
sown upon the rocky 
places, this is he that 
heareth the word, 
and straightway with 
joy receiveth it; 
yet hath he not root 
in himself, but en- 
dureth for a while ; 
and when tribulation 



Luke viii. 



5- 



Now the parable 
is this : The seed is 
the word of God. 
And those by the 
wayside are they that 
have heard ; then 
cometh the devil, 
and taketh away the 
word from their 
heart, that they may 
not believe and be 
saved. And those 
on the rock are 
they who, when they 
have heard, receive 
the word with joy; 
and these have no 
root, who for a while 
believe, and in time 
of temptation fall 
away. And that 



1 iv. 1-32. 2 viii. 4-1S. ■ xiii. 1S-19. 

« xiii. 1-52. See A. B. Bruce, Parabolic Teaching of Christ, for an admirable 
study of this group of parables. 



OF MARK 



then, when tribula- 
tion or persecution 
ariseth because of 
the word, straight- 
way they stumble. 
And others are they 
that are sown among 
the thorns ; these 
are they that have 
heard the word, and 
the cares of the age 
and the deceitful- 
ness of riches, and 
the lust of other 
things entering in, 
choke the word, and 
it becometh unfruit- 
ful. And these are 
they that were sown 
upon the good 
ground ; such as 
hear the word, and 
accept it, and bear 
fruit thirtyfold, and 
sixtyfoid, and a hun- 
dredfold. 



or persecution aris- 
eth because of the 
word, straightway he 
stumbleth. And he 
that was sown among 
the thorns, this is he 
that heareth the 
word ; and the care 
of the age, and the 
deceitfulness of 
riches, choke the 
word, and he becom- 
eth unfruitful. And 
he that was sown 
upon the good 
ground, this is he 
that heareth the 
word, and under- 
standeth it ; who 
verily beareth fruit, 
and bringeth forth, 
some a hundredfold, 
some sixty, some 
thirty. 



I which fell among 
the thorns, these are 
| they that have heard, 
I and as they go on 
I their way they are 
choked with cares 
' and riches and pleas- 
i ures of this life, and 
i bring no fruit to per- 
fection. And that 
in the good ground, 
J thete are such as in 
I an honest and good 
heart, having heard 
the word, hold it fast, 
and bring forth fruit 
with patience. 



The kingdom of God is here conceived as a grain field. 
The seed is the word of the kingdom. The field con- 
sists of the hearers of the Gospel, men differing as a field 
differs to the sower. These different classes deal with 
the word in various manners. The superficial, the ob- 
durate, the preoccupied — these are the three classes 
with whom the word of the kingdom is not fruitful. 
There is, however, a class of men who are attentive, re- 
ceive the word, and are exceedingly fruitful. 

This parable teaches that the kingdom is to be estab- 
lished by means of preaching the Gospel, and that it 
is composed of men of various kinds, who receive it, 
although only one kind of men really gain the benefits 
of it. These benefits are benefits of character, and not 
of carnal possession and temporal advantages. The 



90 THE MESSIAH 

kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, which grows from seed 
to fruit ; a kingdom of grace and not a kingdom of mere 
sovereignty ; a kingdom of truth and not a kingdom of 
physical force. 

Mark gives us a parable which is a suitable companion 
to that of the Sower : 

And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should 
cast seed upon the earth; and should sleep and rise night and 
day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not 
how. The earth beareth fruit of herself ; first the blade, then 
the ear, then the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is 
ripe, straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the harvest 
is come. (Mark iv. 26-29.) 

The parable takes up the fruitful seed of the previous 
parable and sets forth its gradual, silent, and sure growth. 
There are successive stages — sowing, the blade, the ear, 
the full grain in the ear, the harvest. This is the growth 
of the fruitful members of the kingdom ; and the growth 
of the kingdom itself as made of such members. This 
parable teaches us to distinguish several stages in the 
growth and development of the kingdom. At its origin 
it is planted. Some considerable time elapses before 
the blade becomes visible. Then it has to grow until it 
reaches its maturity. Growth gradual, secret, and cer- 
tain is the law of the kingdom of God. It is not a king- 
dom of armies, but of truth ; its victories are not by vio- 
lence, but by persuasion. It advances by growth in the 
apprehension and practice of the truth of God. Patient 
waiting is needed in that long interval between the Sow- 
ing and the Reaping. 

Matthew and Mark attach to this group of parables 
the parable of the Grain of Mustard Seed, which is given 
by Luke in another connection. It may be appropriately 
considered here. 



OF MARK 



91 



Matt. xiii. 31, 32. 

Another parable 
set he before them, 
saying, The king- 
dom of heaven is 
like unto a grain of 
mustard seed, which 
a man took, and 
sowed in his field : 
which indeed is less 
than all seeds ; but 
when it is grown, it 
is greater than the 
herbs, and becometh 
a tree, so that the 
birds of the heaven 
come and lodge in 
the branches thereof. 



Luke xiii. 18, 19. 

He said therefore, 
Unto what is the 
kingdom of God 
like ? and whereunto 
shall I liken it ? It 
is like unto a grain 
of mustard seed, 
which a man took, 
and cast into his own 
garden ; and it grew, 
and became a tree ; 
and the birds of the 
heaven lodged in the 
branches thereof. 



Mark iv. 30-32. 

And he said, How 
shall we liken the 
kingdom of God ? or 
in what parable shall 
we set it forth ? It 
is like a grain of 
mustard seed, which, 
when it is sown 
upon the earth, 
though it be less 
than all the seeds 
that are upon the 
earth, yet when it is 
sown, groweth up, 
and becometh great- 
er than all the herbs, 
and putteth out 
great branches ; so 
that the birds of the 
heaven can lodge 
under the shadow 
thereof. 



The parable of the Sower brought out the darker side 
of the fortunes of the kingdom. This parable confines 
itself to the brighter side. It contrasts the smallness of 
the kingdom in its origin with the greatness of its frui- 
tion. It takes up the doctrine of the growth of the 
kingdom set forth in the parable of the growing seed. 
The good seed here is not a grain seed, but a mustard 
seed, exceedingly small. The seed does not here repre- 
sent the members of the kingdom, but the kingdom 
itself. The parable reminds us of the cedar twig of 
Ezekiel and its marvelous growth, 1 and of the spreading 
vine of Asaph. 2 

The contrast between the origin of the kingdom and 
its fruition is very striking. In its origin it is a very 
small seed. Its planting and its early development will 



1 Ezek. xvii. 22-24. 



Ps. Lxxx. 



92 THE MESSIAH 

not attract attention. But when it is rapidly reaching 
its maturity then it will attract the attention of all. 

JESUS RECOGNIZED AS MESSIAH. 

§ 1 8. Jesus was recognized as the Messiah, the Son of 
God, on several occasions by demons and at last by his own 
apostles. 

The Gospel of Mark gives an account of a recognition 
of the Messiahship of Jesus by a demon in connection 
with his first miracle of casting out demons in Caper- 
naum. 

What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? Art 
thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou art, the Holy 
One of God. (Mark i. 24.) 1 

Jesus is here declared to be " the holy one of God," 
holy not so much in contrast with the unclean spirit, but 
in the sense that he was the one consecrated by God as 
the Messiah, he was anointed with the Holy Spirit of 
God. 

At a later period Mark reports : 

And the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down 
before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. (Mark 
iii. 11.) 

The Son of God is here the epithet of Jesus as the 
Messiah, in accordance with Messianic usage. 

At another time, in the country of the Gerasenes, we 
have a similar recognition by demons. 



Mark v. 6, 7. 

And when he saw 
Jesus from afar, he 
ran and worshipped 



Matth. viii. 29. 

And behold, they 
cried out, saying, 
What have we to do 



Luke viii. 28. 

And when he saw 
Jesus, he cried out, 
and fell down before 



The report of Luke iv. 34 is the same. 



OF MARK 



93 



him ; and crying out 
with a loud voice, he 
saith, What have I 
to do with thee, Je- 
sus, thou Son of the 
Most High God ? I 
adjure thee by God, 
torment me not. 



with thee, thou Son 
of God? Art thou 
come hither to tor- 
ment us before the 
time ? 



him, and with a loud 
voice said, What 
have I to do with 
thee, Jesus, thou Son 
of the Most High 
God? I beseech 
thee, torment me 
not. 



Here Jesus is recognized by the demons as "the Son 
of the Most High God," according to Mark and Luke, 
and as " the Son of God," according to Matthew. The 
thought of God as " the Most High " was possibly sug- 
gested by the demons' fear of the depths of the abyss. 

In the meanwhile the people were disputing among 
themselves, who Jesus might be, and even Herod was 
disturbed. The people doubted whether he was Elijah, 
the herald of the prophecy of Malachi, or a prophet like 
one of the prophets of the Old Testament. Herod's 
guilty conscience led him to fear in Jesus the risen John 
the Baptist. 1 In all these conjectures they were erring, 
for they did not understand that John the Baptist was 
the second Elijah, the herald of Jesus the Messiah. The 
faith of the apostles was tested by a direct question of 
Jesus in the region of Csesarea Philippi. 



Mark viii. 27-30. 

And Jesus went 
forth, and his disci- 
ples, into the villages 
of Caesarea Philip- 
pi: and in the way 
he asked his disci- 
ples, saying unto 
them, Who do men 
say that I am ? And 



Matt. xvi. 13-16, 20. 

Now when Jesus 
came into the parts 
of Caesarea Philippi, 
he asked his disci- 
ples, saying, Who do 
men say that the Son 
of Man- is? And 
they said, Some say 
John the Baptist; 



Luke ix. 18-21. 

And it came to 
pass, as he was pray- 
ing alone, the disci- 
ples were with him : 
and he asked them, 
saying, Who do the 
multitudes say that I 
am ? And they an- 
swering said, John 



1 Mark vi. 14-16 ; Matth. xiv. 1,2; Luke ix. 7-9. 

2 Matthew's " Son of Man " seems inappropriate here. The text of Mark and 
Luke is to be preferred. It is not likely that Jesus would have asserted that he 
was the Messianic Son of Man when he was asking his disciples what they thought 
of him. 



94 



THE MESSIAH 



they told him, say- 
ing, John the Bap- 
tist : and others, Eli- 
jah ; but others, One 
of the prophets. And 
he asked them, But 
who say ye that I 
am? Peter answer- 
eth and saith unto 
him, Thou art the 
Messiah. And he 
charged them that 
they should tell no 
man of him. 



some Elijah: and 
others, Jeremiah, or 
one of the prophets. 
He saith unto them, 
But who say ye that 
I am? And Simon 
Peter answered and 
said, Thou art the 
Messiah, the Son of 
the living God. . . . 
Then charged he 
the disciples that 
they should tell no 
man that he was the 
Messiah. 



the Baptist ; but 
others say, Elijah ; 
and others, that one 
of the old prophets 
is risen again. And 
he said unto them, 
But who say ye that 
I am ? And Peter 
answering said. The 
Messiah of God. But 
he charged them, 
and commanded 
them to tell this to 
no man. 



The people were confounding Jesus with the prophetic 
herald of Malachi and of the great prophet of the exile, 1 
but the apostles had now learned that Jesus himself was 
the Messiah, and they express their faith in him through 
their spokesman Peter. 

The term, the Christ, is equivalent to the Messiah. 9 
Mark reports this simple word, " the Messiah "; Luke, 
" the Messiah of God "; Matthew, " the Messiah, the son 
of the living God." It is clear that Jesus here accepted 
the recognition of himself as the Messiah by his apostles, 
and that he claimed to be the Son of God, the Messianic 
king of the Old Testament. 

THE RESURRECTION AND THE SECOND ADVENT. 

§ 19. Jesus will be rejected by the rulers, and put to 
death. He will rise again after three days. His disci- 
ples must follow him ill self-denial and cross-bearing. He 
will come in his kingdom in the lifetime of some of his 
hearers. He will also come in the glory of his Father to 
reward every one according to his works. 

After the profession of faith on the part of Peter and 



1 Is. xl. 3 ; Mai. iii. 1 ; iv. 5. 



Xfuordc =n*tir>. See pp. 34, 52. 



OF MARK 



95 



the other apostles, Jesus taught them very distinctly 
that he must die and rise again. 



Mark viii. 31. 



And he began to 
teach them, that the 
Son of Man must 
suffer many things, 
and be rejected by 
the elders, and the 
chief priests, and the 
scribes, and be 
killed, and after 
three days rise again. 



Matthew xvi. 21. 

From that time 
began Jesus to show 
unto his disciples, 
how that he must go 
unto Jerusalem, and 
suffer many things 
of the elders and 
chief priests and 
scribes,andbe killed, 
and the third day be 
raised up. 



Luke ix. 22. 

The Son of Man 
must suffer many 
things, and be re- 
jected of the elders 
and chief priests and 
scribes, and be killed, 
and the third day be 
raised up. 



Jesus now for the first time, according to Mark, tells 
his apostles of his impending passion. He is a suffering 
Messiah. He has not come to reign, but first to suffer 
and die and rise again in order to come a second time to 
set up his kingdom and reign over it. He is to be per- 
secuted by the rulers at Jerusalem and to be put to 
death. But he will rise again on the third day after a 
brief abode in the grave. This conception of the suffer- 
ing Messiah is based on the predictions of the suffering 
prophet of the great prophet of the exile. 1 Jesus saw 
therein the way of the cross to the throne. He com- 
bines with the faithful prophet of the second Isaiah, the 
Son of Man of Daniel. As in a previous passage he had 
set forth the authority of the Son of Man to forgive sins 
on earth during an earthly ministry, he here advances to 
the conception that the Son of Man must suffer and die 
and rise again. He is to rise again to be the Son of 
Man on the clouds, of Daniel. His earthly life is a life 
prior to that advent. The three days here are doubtless 
a symbolic number to represent a short time, and are not 



» Is. liii. 



96 THE MESSIAH 

a precise and definite prediction of the time spent by 
Jesus in the abode of the dead. Furthermore the resur- 
rection is here not so much the manifestation to his 
apostles, as the resurrection in all its fulness to be the 
Son of Man on the clouds. 1 

This prediction of the death and resurrection was a 
great disappointment to the apostles. They saw the 
near future, and that obscured the remote future. They 
caught at Jesus' prediction of his sufferings and death ; 
they seem not to have understood the prediction of his 
resurrection. And yet that resurrection was to be the 
great Messianic testing to that generation and to all 
generations. It is not strange that Peter stumbled at 
these words of Jesus, and presumed to rebel against 
such an outcome of his Messianic hopes. 

The spokesman of the apostles did not apprehend the 
rashness of his interference. He did not know that he 
was tempting Jesus to abandon his Messianic calling and 
cease to be the Messiah of prophecy in order to become 
the Messiah of the vain hopes and fanciful conceits of 
the zealots of his time. The Messiah rebukes his hasty 
disciple with stern words which set him right. Peter 
had forsaken his true position as a disciple to become a 
stumbling-block in the way of his Master. He had as- 
sumed the attitude of Satan, the great adversary of 
Jesus and his kingdom. 

The Messiah soon after gives his disciples in general 
a lesson based upon his prediction. Not only is the Son 
of Man to undertake a work of suffering and humiliation 
unto death, but his disciples must follow him in the 
same path. 



i Wendt, Lehre Jesu, ii. s. 545. 



OF MARK 



97 



Mark viii. 34— ix. 1. 

And he called 
unto him the multi- 
tude with his disci- 
ples, and said unto 
them, If any man 
would come after 
me, let him deny 
himself, and take up 
his cross, ard follow 
me. For whosoever 
would save his self l 
shall lose it ; and 
whosoever shall lose 
his self for my sake 
and the gospel's, 
shall save it. For 
what doth it profit a 
man, to gain the 
whole world, and 
forfeit his self ? For 
what should a man 
give in exchange for 
his self ? For who- 
soever shall be 
ashamed of me and 
of my words in this 
adulterous and sin- 
ful generation, the 
Son of Man also 
shall be ashamed of 
him, when he com- 



Matt. xvi. 24-28. 

Then said Jesus 
unto his disciples, 
If any man would 
come after me, let 
him deny himself, 
and take up his cross, 
and follow me. For 
whosoever would 
save his self 1 shall 
lose it: and whoso- 
ever shall lose his 
self for my sake shall 
find it. For what 
shall a man be prof- 
ited, if he shall gain 
the whole world, and 
forfeit himself? or 
what shall a man 
give in exchange for 
himself ? For the 
Son of Man shall 
come in the glory 
of his Father with 
his angels ; and then 
shall he render unto 
every man accord- 
ing to his deeds. 
Verily, I say unto 
you, There be some 
of them that stand 
here, which shall in 



Luke ix. 23-27. 

And he said unto 
all, If any man 
would come after 
me, let him deny 
himself, and take up 
his cross daily, and 
follow me. For who- 
soever would save 
his self ! shall lose 
it ; but whosoever 
shall lose his self for 
my sake, the same 
shall save it. For 
what is a man profit- 
ed if he gain the 
whole world, and 
lose or forfeit h i s 
own self ? For who- 
soever shall be 
ashamed of me and 
of my words, of him 
shall the Son of Man 
be ashamed, when 
he cometh in his 
own glory, and the 
glory of the Father 
and of the holy 
angels. But I tell 
you of a truth, There 
be some of them 
that stand here, 



1 The interpretation of this passage depends in a measure upon the meaning 
of the Greek -tyvxn here. The Greek term fvxv like fc^QJ of the Old Testa- 
ment has a variety of meanings. The versions differ in their rendering here. 
Some take the meaning life, others the meaning soul. Whichever of these mean- 
ings is accepted should be uniformly used. But neither of these renderings 
seems to be correct. The contrast is not between body and soul. Jesus is not 
thinking of the loss of the soul as distinguished from the death of the body, as if 
he would save the soul at the risk of the body. The contrast is not between life 
and death, as if Jesus meant to teach the paradox that the sacrifice of life is the 
only way to gain life, which would then be explained by the contrast between life 
in this world and life in the world to come. It seems better to use the meaning 
self which is common to "tyojtfl in the New Testament and £*EJ in the Old 
Testament- 



98 



THE MESSIAH 



no wise taste of 
death, till they see 
the Son of Man 
coming in his king- 
dom. 



which shall in no 
wise taste of death, 
till they see the 
kingdom of God. 



eth in the glory of 
his Father with the 
holy angels. And 
he said unto them, 
Verily, I say unto 
you, There be some 
here of them that 
stand by, which shall 
in no wise taste of 
death, till they see 
the kingdom of God 
come with power. 



The contrast is between the man himself and the 
world about him. His aim should not be circumscribed 
by this world ; he should fix his attention upon himself 
as outlasting all temporal things. It is the man himself 
who is to account to the Son of Man in the day of judg- 
ment, and it is of supreme importance that he should 
attach himself to the Son of Man as soon as possible ere 
that day. He must be one with the Son of Man and 
follow him in his humiliation unto death in order to 
share with him in the glory of his kingdom. Self- 
denial, cross-bearing, following the Son of Man, are in- 
dispensable for discipleship. They must so deny them- 
selves that they follow their Master in humiliation and 
shame even to the malefactor's death. The life of self- 
denial and cross-bearing on the part of the disciple, in 
imitation of the Son of Man, will ultimately gain its 
reward. The Son of Man will go on to a malefactor's 
death, and they must follow him, if need be, to the 
gallows. But he will not abide in a malefactor's tomb. 
He will rise and come again as the Son of Man of 
prophecy to set up his kingdom and reward the faithful. 
Hence it is that the prediction of the resurrection of the 
Son of Man now passes over into a prediction of a 
second Advent of the Son of Man. 

The terms used by the evangelists referring to the 



OF MARK 99 

Advent are somewhat different, and on this account give 
great difficulty in their interpretation and reconciliation. 
The three agree in telling us of the coming of the Son 
of Man in the glory of his Father with the holy angels 
to reward the faithful and shame the unfaithful, every 
man according to his works. This evidently is the Ad- 
vent in glory and judgment at the close of the dis- 
pensation, and gives no difficulty, for it is the final 
scene of Old Testament prophecy. It is the Son 
of Man on the clouds of Daniel. The difficulty 
arises in connection with the closing words, that some 
of his hearers who were standing by him on that 
occasion would not taste of death until they saw 
° the kingdom of God," according to Luke ; " the 
kingdom of God coming with power," according to 
Mark; and "the Son of Man coming in his kingdom," 
according to Matthew. In these words it is definitely 
taught that within the lifetime of some of his hearers 
the kingdom of God would come, the Son of Man would 
come in it, and they would see its power. Is this 
coming in the kingdom the same as the coming in the 
glory of the Father of the previous context, or is it a 
different coming ? There is nothing in the text or con- 
text to distinguish them. And yet they might be dif- 
ferent events if evidence were produced from other pre- 
dictions of Jesus. Indeed there is nothing in the con- 
text to show what is the relation between the resurrec- 
tion of the Son of Man and these advents, whether these 
are all one and the same event or two different events, 
or three stages in the Messianic work of Jesus. If there 
is the mingling in the same picture of different events 
far apart in time, Jesus is simply following the method 
of the predictions of the Old Testament. We are 
guided to separate the advent to establish the kingdom 



100 THE MESSIAH 

from the Advent in glory to reward the faithful disciples, 
by the parables of the kingdom already considered. 
These teach us that the kingdom was to be established 
in the world as good seed and to grow in several stages 
from a small beginning until it attained a great and glo- 
rious fruition. Accordingly the advent of the Son of 
Man in his kingdom during the lifetime of his hearers 
may refer to the setting up of his kingdom in the world, 
an advent to be carefully distinguished from his Advent 
in glory and in judgment, which cannot take place until 
the kingdom is ripe for judgment and glory. The pre- 
diction of the resurrection of the Son of Man is a third 
event, distinct from the other two, as will appear in the 
prophecies that follow. We accordingly have here three 
distinct Messianic events predicted by Jesus — (i) the 
resurrection of the Son of Man ; (2) his advent to set up 
his kingdom in the lifetime of his hearers ; and (3) his 
Advent in glory for judgment. 

THE TRANSFIGURATION. 

§ 20. Jesus manifests Ids glory in the Christophany of 
the Transfiguration which is connected with the theophanic 
voice claiming him as the beloved and accepted Son of God, 
and is associated with the witness of Moses and Elijah. 

In the midst of the earthly life of Jesus, a theophany 
marks the second stage of his Messianic career. This 
event is reported by the synoptists, and is also men- 
tioned in the epistle of Peter. 1 

And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, 
and John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by 
themselves : and he was transfigured before them : and his gar- 
ments became glistering, exceeding white; so as no fuller on 
earth can whiten them. And there appeared unto them Elijah 



> Mark ix. 2-8 ; Matt. xvii. 1-8 ; Luke ix. 28-36 ; 1 Pater i. 16-18. 



OF MARK 101 

with Moses : and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter an- 
swereth and saith to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here : 
and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for 
Moses, and one for Elijah. For he knew not what to answer; 
for they became sore afraid, And there came a cloud over- 
shadowing them : and there came a voice out of the cloud, This 
is my beloved Son : hear ye him. And suddenly looking round 
about, thev saw no one any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 

(Mark ix. 2-8.) 

There are three things that demand our attention in 
this central event. (1) The Theophany is essentially the 
same as that at the Baptism. The voice of God claims 
Jesus as the Son of God, beloved and well-pleasing to 
Him. This puts the seal of divine approval upon the 
first part of the ministry of Jesus as the Messianic Son 
of God, and expresses confidence in its future. (2) The 
place of the Theophany of the dove at the Baptism is 
taken by the manifestation of Moses and Elijah. These 
two representatives of the old dispensation come forth 
from their abode in the world of the departed to bear 
witness to Jesus. Luke tells us that they spake of the 
departure which Jesus was about to make in Jerusalem. 
Their witness to his Messiahship and their testimony as 
to his work, strengthened Jesus for the passion which he 
was henceforth to face. (3) But the most important thing 
was the transfiguration of Jesus himself. Here for the 
first time the immanent glory of the Messiah shines 
forth in Christophany. This sign he grants his three 
favored apostles, and this comfort he takes to himself 
ere he sets his face towards the cross. 

THE KINGDOM OF THE CHILDLIKE. 

§ 21. The kingdom is open to the child /ike and the peni- 
tent but difficult of access by the rich. Those who Jiavc giv- 
en up all for the Messiah will be reivarded a Jmndredfold. 

There are several discourses that set forth a kingdom 



102 



THE MESSIAH 



into which there is immediate access by those who have 
the proper qualifications. 



Matt, xviii. 1-5. 

In that hour came 
the disciples unto 
Jesus, saying, Who 
then is greatest in 
the kingdom of 
heaven ? And he 
called to him a little 
child, and set him 
in the midst of them, 
and said, Verily I 
say unto you, ex- 
cept ye turn, and 
become as little chil- 
dren, ye shall in no 
wise enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. 
Whosoever there- 
fore shall humble 
himself as this little 
child, the same is the 
greatest in the king- 
dom of heaven. A nd 
whoso shall receive 
one such little child 
in my name receiv- 
eth me. 



Mark ix. 33-37. 

And they came to 
Capernaum : and 

J when he was in the 
house he asked them, 

j What were ye rea- 
soning in the way? 

I But they held their 

J peace : for they had 
disputed one with 
another in the way. 
who was the great- 
est. And he sat 
down, and called' the 
twelve ; and he saith 
unto them, If any 
man would be first, 
he shall be last of 
all, and minister of 
all. And he took a 
little child, and set 

' him in the midst of 
them: and taking 
him in his arms, he 
said unto them, 
Whosoever shall re- 
ceive one of such 
little children in my 
name, receiveth me : 
and whosoever re- 
ceiveth me, receiv- 
eth not me, but him 
that sent me. 



Luke ix. 46-48. 

And there arose a 
reasoning among 
them which of them 
was the greatest. 
But when Jesus saw 
the reasoning o f 
their heart, he took 
a little child, and set 
him by his side, 
and said unto them, 
Whosoever shall re- 
ceive this little 
child in my name 
receiveth me : and 
whosoever shall re- 
ceive me receiveth 
him that sent me : 
for he that is least 
among you all, the 
same is great. 



The parallels in Mark and Luke make no mention of 
the kingdom, but in other respects are essentially the 
same as Matthew. This discourse was held in Caper- 
naum, the scene of so much of the activity of Jesus. 

The kingdom of the Messiah was the great object of 
their anxieties and hopes. The question of rank in the 
kingdom was one that would naturally arise in the minds 



OF MARK 



103 



of the apostles, for they could not get beyond the con- 
ception of a kingdom of power and rank in the land of 
Palestine. Jesus gives them a lesson that was most 
striking in its contrasts. The little child is the model 
of the great in the kingdom of the Messiah, and child- 
likeness the measure of excellence. Men must put aside 
all questions of rank and power in order to enter the 
kingdom and share its blessings. They must turn 
about and become transformed into little children ere 
they can enter into the kingdom of the Messiah, and 
then after they have entered it, their growth must still 
be in the direction of childlikeness in order to the attain- 
ment of higher degrees of excellence and rank in the 
kingdom. 

The apostles could not understand this strange doc- 
trine. Jesus soon afterwards repeats it with slight dif- 
ferences : 



Mark x. 13-15. 

And they were 
bringing unto him 
little children, that 
he should touch 
them : and the dis- 
ciples rebuked them. 
But when Jesus saw 
it he was moved with 
indignation, and said 
unto them, Suffer 
the little children to 
come unto me ; for- 
bid them not ; for 
to such belongeth 
the kingdom of God. 
Verily I say unto 
you, whosoever shall 
not receive the king- 
dom of God as a lit- 
tle child, he shall in 
no wise enter therein. 



Matt. xix. 13, 14. 

Then were there 
brought unto him 
little children, that 
he should lay his 
hands on them, and 
pray : and the disci- 
ples rebuked them. 
But Jesus said, Suf- 
fer the little chil- 
dren, and forbid 
them not, to come 
unto me : for to such 
belongeth the king- 
dom of heaven. 



Luke xviii. 15-17. 

And they were 
bringing unto him 
also their babes, 
that he should touch 
them : but when the 
disciples saw it, they 
rebuked them. But 
Jesus called them 
unto him. saying, 
Suffer the little chil- 
dren to come unto 
me, and forbid them 
not : for to such be- 
longeth the king- 
dom of God. Ver- 
ily 1 say unto you, 
Whosoever shall not 
receive the kingdom 
of God as a little 
child, he shall in no 
wise enter therein. 



104 THE MESSIAH 

Jesus here teaches his disciples that the kingdom be- 
longs to little children. They have a title to it, not in- 
deed by birthright, but because of the appropriateness 
of their childlike natures for the life of the kingdom. 
In the previous discourse only the childlike could enter 
the kingdom. Here they are conceived as already in it 
and as entitled to its privileges. Accordingly all who 
would enter the kingdom must be childlike. 

In the previous discourse men were to be transformed 
into children in order to enter the kingdom. Here the 
kingdom is represented as coming to them, as being 
offered to them, and they are privileged to receive it in 
a childlike spirit. This doctrine of the kingdom is in 
accordance with the lessons of the parables of the king- 
dom. The good seed are the attentive, receptive hear- 
ers. Such are the childlike. These are the true mem- 
bers of the kingdom, the heirs of its rights and privi- 
leges. Its growth is in the development of such child- 
like characters. 

This doctrine is enforced by the experiment with the 
rich young ruler, who is taught that something more 
than scrupulous obedience to the moral law is required. 
The high standard of Christlike perfection is held up to 
him. A counsel of Christian perfection is given by Jesus. 
This man is called to sacrifice his property and wealth, 
to make himself poor, and to follow Jesus in his life of 
poverty and self-sacri6ce for the good of men. The rich 
young man cannot rise to this call of Jesus, which might 
have made him another apostle. He is hindered by his 
riches from learning the lesson of Jesus. He thus 
affords a striking contrast between the rich and strong 
of the world and the childlike poor of the kingdom. 
This is given by the three synoptists in essentially the 
same report, with the single exception that Matthew in- 



OF MARK 



105 



serts a word of Jesus, verse 28, which is given by Luke 
in a later and better historical connection. 1 



Mark x. 23-3] 



And Jesus looked 
round about, and 
saith unto his disci- 
ples, How hardly 
shall they that have 
riches enter into the 
kingdom of God! 
And the disciples 
were amazed at his 
words. But Jesus 
answereth again, 
and saith unto them, 
Children, how hard 
is it for them that 
trust in riches to 
enter into the king- 
dom of God ! It is 
easier for a camel to 
go through a nee- 
dle's eye, than for a 
rich man to enter 
into the kingdom of 
God. And they 
were astonished ex- 
ceedingly, saying 
unto him, Then who 
can be saved ? Jesus 
looking upon them 
saith, With men it 
is impossible, but 
not with God : for 
all things are possi- 
ble with God. Peter 
began to say unto 
him, Lo, we have 
left all, and have fol- 
lowed thee. Jesus 
said, Verily 1 say 
unto you, There is 
no man that hath 



Matth. xix. 23-27, 
29, 30. 

And Jesus said 
unto his disciples, 
Verily I say unto 
you, It is hard for a 
rich man to enter 
into the kingdom of 
heaven. And again, 
I say unto you, It is 
easier for a camel to 
go through a nee- 
dle's eye, than for a 
rich man to enter 
into the kingdom of 
God. And when the 
disciples heard it, 
they were astonished 
exceedingly, saying, 
Who then can be 
saved ? And Jesus 
looking upon them 
said to them, 
With men this is 
impossible ; but with 
God all things are 
possible. Then an- 
swered Peter and 
said unto him, Lo, 
we have left all, and 
followed thee ; what 
then shall we have ? 
And Jesus said unto 
them : 

And every one that 
hath left houses, or 
brethren, or sisters, 
or father, or mother, 
or children, or lands, 
for my name's sake, 
shall receive a hun- 



Luke xviii. 24-30. 

And Jesus seeing 
him said, How 
hardly shall they 
that have riches 
enter into the king- 
dom of God ! For it 
is easier for a camel 
to enter in through 
a needle's eye, than 
for a rich man to 
enter into the king- 
dom of God. And 
they that heard it 
said, Then who can 
be saved ? But he 
said, The things 
which are impossi- 
ble with men are 
possible with God. 
And Peter said, Lo, 
we have left our own, 
and followed thee. 
And he said unto 
them, Verily I say 
unto you, There is no 
man that hath left 
house, or wife, or 
brethren, or parents, 
or children, for the 
kingdom of God's 
sake, who shall not 
receive manifold 
more in this time, 



1 Luke xxii. 30. 



106 



THE MESSIAH 



left house, or breth- 
ren, or sisters, or 
mother, or father, or 
children, or lands, 
for my sake, and for 
the gospel's sake, 
but he shall receive 
a hundredfold now 
in this time, houses, 
and brethren, and 
sisters, and mothers, 
and children, and 
lands, with persecu- 
tions ; and in the 
world to come eter- 
nal life. But many 
that are first shall 
be last ; and the last 
first. 



dredfold, and shall 
inherit eternal life. 
But many shall be 
last that are first; 
and first that are 
last. 



and in the world to 
come eternal life. 



■ 



The doctrine of this passage is sufficiently clear. The 
contrast is here between the rich and the poor, as in pre- 
vious discourses it had been between men and children. 
The Master does not contrast the rich and poor as such, 
but the rich as seeking and trusting in riches, with the poor 
as giving up riches in houses and lands, in relations and 
friends, for the sake of the Messiah. Such rich men can 
no more enter the kingdom of the Messiah than a camel 
can pass through the needle's eye. It is impossible. 
And yet the kingdom of the Messiah has an entrance 
through which men can pass. As in the previous dis- 
course men must become children, so in this discourse 
the rich must become poor by divesting themselves of 
their riches. Only in this way can they enter through 
the needle's eye of the kingdom. Our Saviour does not 
mean to teach that all men must become poor in order 
to enter his kingdom in any mechanical or external sense 
any more than he meant in the previous discourse that 
men must be transformed in their bodies into boys. But 
men must become childlike in their dispositions and 



OF MARK 



107 



characters. Men must give up their trust in riches and 
use them as the riches of God for the sake of the king- 
dom of God. They must become poor in their disposi- 
tions and characters, poor in spirit. Thus the kingdom 
of heaven is a kingdom of the childlike and the poor, 
and in this respect entirely different from the kingdom 
of the world, where manly strength, and power, and 
riches have the highest places of rank and glory. 

THE SON OF MAN IS A RANSOM. 

§ 22. The Son of Man will be betrayed, cruelly abused 
and delivered by the riders of the Jews to the Gentiles to 
be crucified. He will rise again after three days. The 
apostles must follozv the Master in sufferings, and will be 
rewarded in the kingdom ; but the highest places will be 
assigned by the Father. The Sou of Man is a ransom. 

Jesus gave his disciples a second prediction of his 
death and resurrection. 



Mark ix. 30-32. 

And they went 
forth from thence, 
and passed through 
Galilee ; and he 
would not that any 
man should know it. 
For he taught his 
disciples, and said 
unto them, The 
Son of Man is deliv- 
ered up into the 
hands of men, and 
they shall kill him ; 
and when he is 
killed, after three 
days he shall rise 
again. B.it they un- 
derstood not the 
saying, and were 
afraid to ask him. 



Matt. xvii. 22, 23. 

And while they 
abode in Galilee, 
Jesus said unto 
them, The Son of 
Man shall be deliv- 
ered up into the 
hands of men ; and 
they shall kill him, 
and the third day he 
shall be raised up. 
And they were ex- 
ceeding sorry. 



Luke ix. 43-45. 

But while all were 
marvelling at all the 
things which he did, 
he said unto his dis- 
ciples, Let these 
words sink into your 
ears ; for the Son of 
Man shall be deliv- 
ered up into the 
hands of men. But 
they understood not 
this saying, and it 
was concealed from 
them, that they 
should not perceive 
it: and they were 
afraid to ask h i m 
about this saying. 



108 



THE MESSIAH 



In this discourse Jesus renews the prediction of the 
death of the Son of Man and his resurrection after three 
days, and adds that he would be betrayed. This troubles 
his disciples, for they cannot understand it. 

The third prediction of his death and resurrection re- 
ported by Mark was in connection with his last journey 
to Jerusalem with the apostles. It seems to have been 
occasioned by the request of the mother of James and 
John, that her sons might occupy the two highest places 
in the kingdom, nearest the Master. This request 
showed on the one side great faith in the Messiahship 
of Jesus and in the advent of his kingdom ; but on the 
other side a great ignorance of the doctrine of the king- 
dom he had been teaching them. A kingdom of service 
and grace must precede the kingdom of reward and 
glory. The incident gives occasion for once more teach- 
ing the disciples that their Master must soon be put to 
death, and that they must share in his sufferings. It is 
true that the evangelists give the prediction before the 
request. But it is probable that this is a logical rather 
than a chronological order. 



Mark x. 32-34. 

And they were in 
the way, going up to 
Jerusalem; and 
Jesus was going 
before them : and 
they were amazed ; 
and they that fol- 
lowed were afraid. 
And he took again 
the twelve, and 
began to tell them 
the things that were 
to happen unto him, 
saying, Behold, we 
go up to Jerusalem ; 



Matt. xx. 17-19. 

And as Jesus was 
going up to Jerusa- 
lem, he took the 
twelve disciples 
apart, and in t h e 
way he said unto 
them, Behold, we 
go up to Jerusalem ; 
and the Son of Man 
shall be delivered 
unto the chief priests 
and scribes : and 
they shall condemn 
him to death, and 
shall deliver h i m 



Luke xviii. 31-34. 

And he took unto 
him the twelve, and 
said unto them, Be- 
hold, we go up to 
Jerusalem, and all 
the things that are 
written by the pro- 
phets shall be ac- 
complished unto the 
Son of Man. For 
he shall be delivered 
up unto the Gentiles, 
and shall be mocked, 
and shamefully en- 
; treated, and spit 



OF MARK 



109 



unto the Gentiles to 
mock, and to 
scourge, and to cru- 
cify : and the third 
day he shall be raised 
up. 



upon : and they shall 
scourge and kill him: 
and the third day he 
shall rise again. 
And they under- 
stood none of these 
things ; and this say- 
ing was hid from 
them, and they per- 
ceived not the things 
that were said. 



and the Son of Man 
shall be delivered 
unto the chief priests 
and the scribes ; and I 
they shall condemn I 
him to death, and 
shall deliver h i m 
unto the Gentiles : 
and they shall mock 
him, and shall spit 
upon him, and shall 
scourge him, and 
shall kill him ; and 
after three days he 
shall rise again. 

This prediction differs from the previous two in its 
detailed statement of the sufferings of the Son of Man. 
Jesus is first to be delivered to the chief priests and 
scribes. These in council assembled are to condemn 
him to death. They are then to deliver him into the 
hands of the Gentiles. He is to be mocked, spit upon, 
scourged, and finally crucified. Thus Jesus clearly told 
his disciples that he was to die as a malefactor, an out- 
cast from the nation. His sufferings were to be the 
greatest conceivable. His death was to be a shameful 
one. This hard fact, this stern event, confronts them. 
The only relief is the promise of the resurrection on the 
third day. This emphasis upon the sufferings of the 
Son of Man is a fitting prelude to the prediction of the 
sufferings of the apostles. 



Mark x. 35-45. 

And there came near unto 
him James and John, the sons 
of Zebedee, saying unto him, 
Master, we would that thou 
shouldest do for us whatsoever 
we shall ask of thee. And he 
said unto them, What would ye 
that I should do for you ? And 



Matth. xx. 20-28. 

Then came to him the 
mother of the sons of Zebedee 
with her sons, worshipping him, 
and asking a certain thing of 
him. And he said unto her, 
What wouldest thou ? She 
saith unto him, Command 
that these my two sons may 



110 



THE MESSIAH 



they said unto him, Grant unto 
us that we may sit, one on thy 
right hand, and one on thy left 
hand, in thy glory. But Jesus 
said unto them, Ye know not 
what ye ask. Are ye able to 
drink the cup that I drink ? or 
to be baptized with the baptism 
that I am baptized with ? And 
they said unto him, We are able. 
And Jesus said unto them, The 
cup that I drink ye shall drink; 
and with the baptism that I am 
baptized withal shall ye be bap- 
tized : but to sit on my right 
hand or on my left hand, is not 
mine to give : but it is for them 
for whom it hath been pre- 
pared. And when the ten heard 
it, they began to be moved with 
indignation concerning James 
and John. And Jesus called 
them to him, and saith unto 
them, Ye know that they who 
are accounted to rule over the 
Gentiles lord it over them ; and 
their great ones exercise autho- 
rity over them. But it is not so 
among you : but whosoever 
would become great among 
you, shall be your minister: 
and whosoever would be first 
among you, shall be servant of 
all. For the Son of Man also 
came not to be ministered unto, 
but to minister, and to give his 
self a ransom for many. 

The report of Mark is fullest here. Luke does not 
mention this incident. Jesus sets forth his sufferings as 
a bitter cup and a baptism of suffering. The apostles 
will have to share in them. Jesus came at this time to 
minister and not to reign. They, like their master, are 
first to minister ; those who become great must excel in 
service. The Son of Man came to give his life, or rather his 
self, a ransom for many. And the disciples are to follow 



sit, one on thy right hand, 
and one on thy left hand, in 
thy kingdom. But Jesus an- 
swered and said, Ye know not 
what ye ask. Are ye able to 
drink the cup that I am about 
to drink ? They say unto him, 
We are able. He saith unto 
them, My cup indeed ye shall 
drink : but to sit on my right 
hand, and on my left hand, is 
not mine to give, but it is for 
them for whom it hath been 
prepared of my Father. And 
when the ten heard it, they 
were moved with indignation 
concerning the two brethren. 
But Jesus called them unto 
him, and said, Ye know that the 
rulers of the Gentiles lord it 
over them, and their great ones 
exercise authority over them. 
Not so shall it be among you : 
but whosoever would become 
great among you shall be your 
minister ; and whosoever would 
be first among you shall be 
your servant : even as the Son 
of Man came not to be minis- 
tered unto, but to minister, and 
to give his self a ransom for 
many. 



OF MARK HI 

his example. It is well for them that they learn their 
duty of service. They will not go unrewarded. They 
will receive the rank due to sufferings and service. But 
the highest places in the kingdom are so high that they 
are beyond the gift of the Son of Man himself. They 
are the award of the Father who gives the Son of Man 
his reward, and associates the most deserving with him. 
In this passage Jesus teaches his disciples the redemp- 
tive meaning of his self-sacrifice. His life, which he 
gives up in death, or rather his self, his entire person 
and service which he gives in ministry, is a ransom for 
many. Ransom ' may be interpreted of the redemp- 
tive covering price of the Old Testament usage which 
purchases freedom from bondage. So Wendt thinks of 
the bondage to death 2 and Beyschlag of the bondage to 
sin, from which the Son of Man delivers the disciples by 
his self-sacrificing death. 3 Although Jesus uses the term 
Son of Man, he is thinking of the prophetic servant of 
the second Isaiah here as in the previous passages. The 
term itself was probably derived from the second Isaiah : 

I have given Egypt as thy ransom, 

Cush and Seba in thy stead. 

Since thou art precious in mine eyes ; 

Thou art honoured, and I love thee ; 

And I will give mankind in thy stead, 

And peoples instead of thy life. (Is. xliii. 3, 4). 

Egypt, Cush, and Seba are heathen ransom prices for 
Israel. They are given to the conqueror of Babylon to 
induce him to restore Israel to his land. Israel is re- 
deemed from bondage by this ransom price. 4 

As these nations are the ransom price there, so Jesus, 
the Son of Man, is the ransom price here. This concep- 

1 AvTpnv. 2 Left re Jesu, s. 516. 

3 Neutest. Theologie, s. 149. * Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 350. 



112 THE MESSIAH 

tion of the Son of Man as the ransom price is based on 
another passage of the same prophet. 

The servant of Yahweh interposed as a mediator for 
his people ; he himself made the trespass-offering. He 
justified many. 1 So the son of Man here interposes as a 
ministering servant between his disciples and their ene- 
mies. He takes upon himself the sin, the evil, and the 
death which were threatening them. He paid the ran- 
som price by offering himself as victim instead of them. 
Jesus does not intimate to whom the price was paid, nor 
from what the ransom was made. He makes a compre- 
hensive statement which we should beware of limiting. 3 
He not only gives his life up in death, but he gives him- 
self in his entire ministry prior to death and subsequent 
to death. He is to be the ransom, not only on the 
cross, but during his life of interposition, which leads to 
the cross, and in his mediatorial life, which was subse- 
quent to the cross. He interposes and gives himself as 
the ransom, in that he is and continues to be the Son of 
Man, the mediating, interposing servant of God, until his 
entire redemptive work has been accomplished. The 
ransom price was not paid to God, who claimed no such 
ransom. The Son of God was on a mission from God. 
It was not paid to the devil, because the devil was not 
entitled to it and his authority was never recognized by 
Jesus. It was paid to sin and evil as their ransom price, 
in order to deliver his disciples from the penalty of sin 
and evil, which threatened them from the whole order 
of nature and the whole constitution of human affairs. 

THE MESSIAH CLAIMS HIS OWN. 
§ 23. Jesus enters Jerusalem as the king of peace. He is 
recognized by the multitudes, but is rejected by the Pharisees. 

1 Is. liii. 2 Adeney, Theology of the New Testament, p. 66. 



OF MARK 113 

As the time for his passion draws nigh, Jesus departs 
from his previous custom and makes a public entry into 
Jerusalem and claims recognition as the Messiah. 

A. Mark xi. 7-10. 
And they bring the colt unto Jesus, and cast on him their gar- 
ments ; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments 
upon the way ; and others branches, which they had cut from the 
fields. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, 
Hosanna ; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : 
Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father 
David : Hosanna in the highest. 

B. Matthew xxi. 7-1 1, 15, 16 
And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their gar- 
ments ; and he sat thereon. And the most part of the multitude 
spread their garments in the way ; and others cut branches from 
the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that 
went before him, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the 
Son of David : Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ; 
Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, 
all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? And the multitudes 

said, This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee 

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things 
that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and 
saying, Hosanna to the Son of David ; they were moved with 
indignation, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these are 
saying ? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea : did ye never read, Out 
of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ? 

C. Luke xix. 35-40. 
And they brought him to Jesus : and they threw their gar- 
ments upon the colt, and set Jesus thereon. And as he went, 
they spread their garments in the way. And as he was now draw- 
ing nigh, even at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole 
multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a 
loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen ; saying, 
Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord : peace 
in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees 
from the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 
And he answered and said, I tell you that, if these shall hold 
their peace, the stones will cry out. 

D, John xii. 12, 13. 
On the morrow a great multitude that had come to the feast, 
when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the 
branches of the palm-trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried 
out, Hosanna : Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord, even the King of Israel. 



I 



114 THE MESSIAH 

This public entry into Jerusalem and the temple is so 
different from his ordinary methods that it marks a 
crisis in the life of Jesus. He allows his Messianic dig- 
nity to shine forth upon the nation, and for a few 
moments, possibly for a few hours, is recognized by the 
people as the Messiah. The multitude heap up Messi- 
anic terms in their acclamations. " The kingdom that 
cometh, that of our father David " is the acclaim reported 
by Mark. It seemed as if the kingdom of David of the 
prophets was now to be inaugurated. " The son of 
David " is the word preserved by Matthew ; " The king 
of Israel," by John. These are titles of the Messianic 
king whom they see in Jesus. Luke reports the words, 
"The king that cometh in the name of the Lord." 
They see in Jesus the king predicted in the prophecies 
of the Old Testament. This public recognition of the 
Messiah by the multitudes is displeasing to the Phari- 
sees, who would have Jesus command their silence. But 
Jesus does not refuse the recognition he has for once 
courted. He replies that the multitude could not do 
otherwise. His Messianic dignity was so transparent 
that even the stones would cry out if the multitude were 
silent. 

THE REJECTED CORNER-STONE. 

§ 24. The rulers of Israel have rejected the prophets a?id 
they are about to reject the Messiah, the corner-stone of 
the kingdom. The kingdom will be taken from them and 
given to a faithful nation. 

During his last week in Jerusalem Jesus contends 
with the Pharisees who are seeking to entrap him and 
put him to death. Mark reports a parable which Jesus 
gives them, in which he sets forth that his rejection is 
but the culmination of their rejection of all the prophets. 



OF MARK 



115 



And on this basis he claims to be the corner stone, of 
the prophecy of the Old Testament. 



Mark xii. i-ii. 

A man planted a 
vineyard, and set a 
hedge about it, and 
digged a pit for the 
winepress, and built 
a tower, . and let it 
out to husbandmen, 
and went into ano- 
ther country. And 
at the season he sent 
to the husbandmen 
a servant, that he 
might receive from 
the husbandmen of 
the fruits of the vine- 
yard. And they took 
him, and beat him, 
and sent him away 
empty. And again 



Matt. xxi. 33-42. 

There was a man 
that was a house- 
holder, which plant- 
ed a vineyard, and 
set a hedge about it, 
and digged a wine- 
press in it, and built 
a tower, and let it 
out to husbandmen, 
and went into ano- 
ther country. And 
when the season of 
the fruits drew near, 
he sent his servants 
to the husbandmen, 
to receive his fruits. 
And the husband- 
men took his ser- 
vants, and beat one, 
he sent unto them I and killed another, 
another servant; and I and stoned another, 
him they wounded [ Again he sent other 
in the head, and servants more than 
handled shamefully, the first : and they 
And he sent another; did unto them in 
and him they killed : like manner. But 
and many others ; ! afterward he sent 
beating some, and! unto them his son, 
saying, They will 
reverence my son. 
But the husband- 
men, when they saw 
the son, said among 
themselves, This is 
the heir; come, let 
us kill him, and take 
his inheritance. And 
they took him, and 
cast him forth out of 
the vineyard, and 
killed him. When 
therefore the lord of 
the vineyard shall 



killing some. He 
had yet one, a be- 
loved son : he sent 
him last unto them, 
saying, They will 
reverence my son. 
But those husband- 
men said among 
themselves, This is 
the heir; come, let 
us kill him, and the 
inheritance shall be 
ours. And they took 
him, and killed him, 
and cast him forth | 



Luke xx. 9-17. 

A man planted a 
vineyard, and let it 
out to husbandmen, 
and went into ano- 
ther country for a 
long time. And at 
the season he sent 
unto the husband- 
men a servant, that 
they should give him 
of the fruit of the 
vineyard : but the 
husbandmen beat 
him, and sent him 
away empty. And 
he sent yet another 
servant : and h i m 
also they beat, and 
handled him shame- 
fully, and sent him 
away empty. And 
he sent yet a third : 
and him also they 
wounded, and cast 
him forth. And the 
lord of the vineyard 
said, What shall I 
do? I will send my 
beloved son : it may 
be they will rever- 
ence him. But when 
the husbandmen saw 
him, they reasoned 
one with another, 
saying, This is the 
heir : let us kill him, 
that the inheritance 
may be ours. And 
they cast him forth 
out of the vineyard 
and killed him 
What therefore wil. 
the lord of the vine- 



116 



THE MESSIAH 



out of the vineyard. 
What therefore will 
the lord of the vine- 
yard do ? he will 
come and destroy 
the husbandmen, 
and will give the 
vineyard unto 
others. Have ye 
not read even this 
scripture ; 

The stone which the 

builders rejected, 
The same was made 

the head of the 

corner : 
This was from the 

Lord, 
And it is marvellous 

in our eyes? 



come, what will he 
do unto those hus- 
bandmen ? They 
say unto him, He 
will miserably de- 
stroy those miser- 
able men, and will 
let out the vineyard 
unto other husband- 
men, which shall 
render him the fruits 
in their seasons. 
Jesus saith unto 
them, Did ye never 
read in the Scrip- 
tures, 

The stone which the 
builders rejected, 

The same was made 
the head of the 



yard do unto them ? 
He will come and 
destroy these hus- 
bandmen, and will 
give the vineyard 
unto others. And 
when they heard it, 
they said, God for- 
bid. But he looked 
upon them, and said, 
What then is this 
that is written, 

The stone which the 
builders rejected, 

The same was made 
the head of the 
corner ? 



corner : 
This was from the 

Lord, 
And it is marvellous 

in our eyes ? 

In the parable of the wicked husbandmen Jesus takes 
up the figure of the vineyard which is familiar in the 
usage of the Old Testament J as a representation of the 
kingdom of God. God made Israel his kingdom and 
gave it in charge of rulers who were in covenant to yield 
the fruits to their Lord. They were unfaithful to their 
covenant. The servants, sent from time to time remind- 
ing them of their obligations and demanding fruits, are 
the prophets calling to repentance. These they perse- 
cute and slay. At last the Son, the Messianic prophet, 
is sent with the same prophetic call, and he is slain. 
This is the last hour of waiting on the part of God. The 
climax of guilt has been reached. The doom of the 
rulers of Israel has come. The vineyard, the kingdom 



i Isa. v. 



OF MARK an 

of God, will be taken from them, and will be given to a 
nation who will yield the fruits of repentance and good 
works. This parable is the basis upon which Jesus puts 
forth his claim to be the corner-stone of the kingdom in 
the representations of the prophecy of the Old Testa- 
ment. 1 They are about to reject the precious corner- 
stone of God. But their rejection will not avail. That 
stone will become the head of the corner. Here the re- 
jection of the Messiah is represented as the casting away 
of the corner-stone, and the resurrection as the lifting 
of the corner-stone to its place in the building. In this 
parable Jesus shows the relation of the kingdom of the 
Messiah to the kingdom of God in the Old Testament. 
The kingdom of the Messiah is a continuation of the 
kingdom of God under the Old Testament. Then God 
had ruled through kings and priests. These had proved 
unfaithful to him. The rule of God was still carried on 
through the priests and scribes who had control of the 
religion of Israel. These were unfaithful as their pred- 
ecessors had been. They had rejected the warnings of 
the prophets ; they now reject the Messiah himself. 
This rejection of the Messiah brings the kingdom of 
God under the Old Testament to an end. It is to die 
with its Messiah. But a new kingdom is to rise up in 
its place with the resurrection of the Messiah. He is to 
be the corner-stone of the new kingdom of God, in 
which Israel, as a nation, and the rulers, as descendants 
of the ancient authorities appointed of God, will have no 
place ; but a new and spiritual Israel with new and spir- 
itual rulers, will occupy the vineyard and constitute the 
kingdom under the sway of the Messiah. 



1 Isa. xxviii. 14-18 ; Ps. cxviii. 22, 23. See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 
208. 



118 



THE MESSIAH 



% 



THE LORD OF DAVID. 

§ 25. Jesus is the Messianic king, the son of David and 
his Lord. 

Jesus in his contest with the Pharisees and rulers, in 
the last week of his ministry, presses upon them his 
claims to be the Messiah. The Synoptists unite in an 
account of the words of Jesus claiming to be the Mes- 
siah of Psalm ex. 



Mark xii. 35-37. 

And Jesus an- 
swered and said, as 
he taught in the 
temple, How say the 
scribes that the 
Messiah is the son of 
David? David him- 
self said in the Holy 
Spirit, The Lord 
said unto my Lord, 
Sit thou on my right 
hand, till I make 
thine enemies the 
footstool of thy feet. 
David himself call 
eth him Lord ; and 
whence is he his 
son? 



Matt. xxii. 41-45. 

Now while the 
Pharisees were gath- 
ered together, Jesus 
asked them a ques- 
tion, saying, What 
think ye of the 
Messiah? Whose son 
is he? They say 
unto him, The son 
of David. He saith 
unto them, How then 
doth David in the 
Spirit call him Lord, 
saying, The Lord 
said unto my Lord, 
Sit thou on my right 
hand, till I put thine 
enemies underneath 
thy feet? If David 
then calleth h i m 
Lord, how is he his 
son ? 

Jesus here cites a Messianic passage from Ps. ex. 1 in 
which the poet describes the conquering king after the 
order of Melchizedek. If David be the author of this 
psalm, as the Pharisees supposed, 2 this conquering king 



Luke xx. 41-44. 

And he said unto 
them, How say they 
that the Messiah is 
David's son? For 
David himself saith 
in the book of 
Psalms, The Lord 
said unto my Lord, 
I Sit thou on my right 
hand, till I make 
thine enemies the 
footstool of thy feet. 
David therefore call- 
eth him Lord, and 
how is he his son ? 



1 See Brig§s' Messianic Prophecy ^ p. 132. 

2 It does not follow from this that Jesus held to the Davidic authorship of the 
psalm. He was arguing from the position of his opponents, not from his own ; 
he was pressing them with an apparent inconsistency in their position which they 
could not explain or remove. He was not called upon to state his own views 
of the authorship of this psalm. 



OF MARK 119 

is his son and at the same time his lord. This seems to 
be contrary to nature. It raises the question whether 
the Messiah may not be something more than the son 
and heir of David. He must be not only a greater 
monarch, but greater in office and in dignity than David 
in order to fulfil the ideal. This was indicated in the 
psalm so far as the Messiah was a king after the order 
of Melchizedek. That was something more than the 
dynasty of David ; for it involved the priestly as well as 
the royal office, and it suggested the thought that as 
Melchisedek was higher in office than Abraham, so the 
Messiah was to be higher in office than David, — his lord 
as well as his son. The priests and scribes were not 
prepared to explain this mystery. They could not 
answer the inquiry of Jesus. Their inability to answer 
this question ought to have opened their minds to see 
and to admit that the Messiah when he came would be 
something different from what they expected, and that 
they ought not to stumble at Messianic attributes that 
seemed to them strange and difficult to understand. 
Jesus was himself this priest-king and lord of the psalm- 
ist, but he was also something more, namely, the suffer- 
ing prophet, and the rejected corner-stone. The recon- 
ciliation of all these apparent inconsistencies could not 
be made to them by Jesus at that time, but only by the 
progress of events when history would be the true inter- 
preter of prophecy. These Pharisees were silenced by 
the words of Jesus. They would have acted wisely if 
they had awaited in silence the unfolding of the life of 
Jesus, which would gradually have unveiled his Messiah- 
ship and set forth his reconciliation of the varying feat- 
ures of Old Testament prophecy in the higher harmo- 
nies of its historic fulfilment. 



Is. 



120 THE MESSIAH 

ERE ANOTHER COMMUNION-MEAL. 

§ 26. Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as the sacrifi- 
cial meal of the new covenant, and promised that the king- 
dom of God would come ere another communion-meal. 

Jesus in his earlier ministry preached the speedy ad- 
vent of the kingdom. He again took up this subject 
when he instituted the Lord's supper. 

There are two important sayings of Jesus on this 
occasion which are pregnant with Messianic meaning. 
The first of these is the saying of Jesus when he gave 
the cup to his disciples : 

This is my blood of the covenant which is shed for many. 1 

(Mark xiv. 22-25.) 

It is clear that Jesus represents here that his blood, 
which was about to be shed on the cross, was blood 
shed for his disciples for the purpose of establishing a new 
covenant relation. Jesus was doubtless thinking of the 
new covenant of Jeremiah 2 and Ezekiel, 3 and especially 
of the second Isaiah, where the new covenant is connect- 



1 See also Matt. xxvi. 26-29 \ Luke xxii. 18-20 ; 1 Cor. xi. 23-26. This 
simple saying of Jesus, as reported in Mark, is explained in Matthew by 
the addition "unto remission of sins." That was one of the aims of the 
shedding of the blood of the Messiah. This is a correct statement, as is clear 
from other passages of the New Testament, but it is not probable that Jesus 
uttered these words, for Matthew alone gives them. Luke and Paul add ' ' new " 
to covenant. This also is explanatory, to bring out clearly the antithesis between 
the old covenant sacrifice at Horeb and the new covenant sacrifice at Calvary. 
But this antithesis is really implied in the simple statement that the blood was 
blood of the covenant. Luke and Paul use the explanatory " this cup " for 
"this" of Matthew and Mark, and change "my blood of the covenant " into 
" covenant in my blood " which do not change the meaning. See Julicher, Zur 
Geschichte der Abcndmahlsfeier in der aHesten Ku che, in the Theologische 
Alhandlungen Weizsacker gewidviet^iS^, s. 237 se$. } and Spitta, Urchristen- 
tliHin, I., s. 318 seq. 

- Jeremiah xxxi. 31-37. 3 Ezekiel xxxiv. 25-31 ; xxxvii. 26-2S. 



OF MARK 121 

ed with the servant of Yahweh. 1 It is this connection 
of the new covenant with the suffering and dying servant 
which leads to the thought of the covenant sacrifice. 
This covenant sacrifice is an antithesis to the covenant 
sacrifice of Horeb. 2 The blood of the covenant was in 
the old covenant sprinkled upon those who entered into 
covenant relations. Here the blood was shed for many, 
but it was to be drunk in a cup under the form of wine. 
Participation by drinking is more expressive than par- 
ticipation by sprinkling. The flesh of the victim was 
eaten in the sacrifice of the old covenant ; the flesh of 
Jesus was eaten in the form of bread in the new cove- 
nant. Here Jesus plainly teaches that his impending 
death is the death of a sacrificial victim ; that it is to be 
of the nature of a peace-offering, and especially a sacri- 
fice instituting the new covenant, which was to take the 
place of the initial sacrifice of the old covenant with all 
that was involved therein. In accordance with the pre- 
dictions of the prophets, the suffering servant was to 
introduce a new dispensation based on a covenant sacri- 
fice, which was to take the place of the old dispensation 
with all its institutions of law and prophecy which were 
based upon the covenant sacrifice at Horeb. 3 

The report of Mark and Matthew would give us noth- 
ing more than the institution of a covenant in which 
those who partook of the victim would represent all 
their successors. But Luke gives the additional words, 
"This do in remembrance of me," which seem to imply 



1 Isaiah xlii. 6; liv. 10-17 ; lv. 3 ; lix. 21 ; lxi. 8, 9. See Briggs' Messianic 
Prophecy, pp. 496, 497. 

3 Exodus xxiv. 1-12. 

3 This sacrifice is specifically a covenant sacrifice which belongs to the class of 
peace offerings. It is incorrect to think of a sin-offering here, which is of an en- 
tirely different class, and where the blood is never applied to persons, but always 
to altars. See Wendt, Lehre Jesu, s. 586. 



ft 



12?, THE MESSIAH 

a command to repeat the celebration as a memorial meal 
and also the substitution of a Christian Passover for a 
Jewish Passover. 1 Paul not only gives this sentence of 
Jesus, but also adds another more explicit, "This do, as 
oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." Jesus, ac- 
cording to Paul, looked forward to constant and oft- 
repeated observances of the Lord's supper as a Christian 
Passover. If it was to be oft repeated, it implied some- 
thing more than the covenant sacrifice of Horeb. That 
sacrifice was the only covenant sacrifice for the Old 
Testament dispensation and needed no renewal. It 
was partaken of by the people for themselves and all 
their successors. But it was also at the foundation 
of all the sacrificial system of the old covenant legis- 
lation and history. The oft-repeated participation in 
the Lord's supper, however, carried with it the concep- 
tion of a continuous sacrifice. The death of the victim 
was but once, but the provision of flesh and blood eaten 
and drunk, in which the entire meaning of the covenant 
sacrifice is always found, implied a continual provision 
of the sacrificial victim. 

Paul adds an explanatory word of his own : 

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye pro- 
claim the Lord's death till he come, (i Cor. xi. 26.) 

According to this teaching the Lord's supper is to be 
celebrated until the Advent of the Lord, until the close 
of the dispensation. This implies that Jesus remains 
the sacrificial victim throughout the entire period be- 
tween his death and his second Advent — ever present on 
the altar-table of his Church. This is an elaboration of 
the conception of the covenant sacrifice of Jesus by the 



1 Ex. xii. 14. See Spitta, /. c, s. 232. 



OF MARK 123 

apostle Paul, and is not contained in the words of insti- 
tution. 1 

It may be doubted how far these supplementary words 
of Jesus given by Luke and Paul, and the interpretation 
of them by Paul, have been influenced by the second 
saying of Jesus reported by the synoptists. 

I will no more 2 drink of the 3 fruit of the vine, until that 



i Julicher, /. c, s. 238 seg ., and Spitta, /. c, s. 238 seg., are doubtless correct 
in their opinion that the earliest Christian tradition represented by Mark and 
Matthew, knew nothing of an institution of the Lord's supper by Jesus on the 
night of his betrayal, as a sacrament to be observed continuously in the future. 
But they admit that Paul and Luke are sustained by the earliest Christian usage 
in representing it as a permanent institution. Julicher explains this change from 
the facts that the apostles and earliest disciples when they met at their Christian 
meals were reminded of their last meal with their Lord, and that Jesus seems to 
have manifested himself to them after his resurrection at such meals. Spitta 
maintains that Jesus did not eat the passover with his disciples, but that he was 
crucified on Passover day, and that therefore his disciples could not eat the pass- 
over until the next month, and he suggests that Jesus appeared to them at that 
secondary passover meal and thereby associated himself with the passover in 
their minds. If we are to go so far with Julicher and Spitta, it is easier to sup- 
pose that the risen Lord in connection with these manifestations commanded the 
perpetual observance of the holy supper just as he gave the apostles their commis- 
sion to preach and baptize, and explained the mystery of his life and death (Luke 
xxiv. 25-49). Paul and Luke would then combine the words of Jesus on two 
different occasions, just as Paul did in his discourse in the book of Acts (xxvi. 
15-18). All such explanations, however, are conjectural. It must be recognized 
that the covenant sacrifice of the New Testament of Mark and Matthew would 
not of itself need repeated eating and drinking any more than the covenant sac- 
rifice of the Old Testament, which was partaken of, once for all, on the day of 
its institution (Ex. xxiv. 6-11). The combination of the annual passover meal 
with the initial meal of the covenant, such as we find in Paul and Luke (cf. 1 Cor. 
v. 7, 8, with xi. 23 scg.) would make an annual celebration appropriate. Put it 
is necessary to go further and connect these with the love-feasts of the early 
Christians, and see in them the continuation of the sacrificial meals of the ordi- 
nary peace offerings of the Jews and Gentiles alike. This combination is given 
in the antithesis between the communion-meals of Christians and the communion- 
meals of idols (1 Cor. x. 14-22), and in the joint celebration of the Lord's supper 
and the love-feast in the apostolic church. Thus the Lord's supper is also the 
fulfilment of the thank-offerings and free-will offerings of the Old Testament. 

2 Matthew and Luke substitute "henceforth," which may be only a different 
translation of the same Aramaic original. 

3 Matthew is more specific by substituting "this " for " the." 



% 



124 THE MESSIAH 

day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 1 (Mark 
xiv. 25.) 

This is a prediction of a return of Jesus subsequent 
to his death. The return and the drinking of the cup are 
to be in the kingdom of God. Most interpreters think 
of the kingdom here as the kingdom of glory of the sec- 
ond Advent, 2 or of the heavenly reunion with the Messiah. 

This would be favored by the fact that Paul may have 
made his reference to the second Advent on the basis of 
these words. But it does not appear that Paul had these 
words in mind. He is rather expounding the words " as 
oft as ye drink it " in order to teach an oft-repeated ob- 
servance of the supper until the second Advent. The 
evangelists, however, emphasize the drinking from the 
cup. There are two drinkings in antithesis, the one at 
present at the institution of the supper, the other in the 
kingdom of God. They teach not the absence of the Lord 
during an indefinite number of feasts or an indefinite 
number of Lord's suppers until the Advent in glory; but 
a speedy advent of the kingdom, such as we have seen 
in previous predictions. At first the kingdom was pro- 
claimed as at hand, then as planted in the ministry of 
our Lord as good seed springing up and growing secretly, 
then as coming in the lifetime of some of his hearers, 
then as open to the childlike and the poor in spirit. All 
this reaches its culmination in the prediction that ere 
another communion-meal came, before there was another 
opportunity to partake of the wine cup, the kingdom 
of God would be set up. The next feast would be 
celebrated by Jesus and his apostles within the Messianic 
kingdom, in a communion feast which would be no more 



1 Matthew adds " with you " and substitutes " in my Father's kingdom." Luke 
condenses the clause into "until the kingdom of God shall come." 
' 2 Weiss, Marcusevangelium, s. 452; Wendt, Lehre Jesu, ii., s. 170. 



OF MARK 125 

predictive of his covenant sacrifice, but would be based 
upon it as an historical event, the turning-point of a new 
age of the world. 

THE REJECTED SHEPHERD. 

§ 27. Jesus as the Messianic shepherd was rejected and 
his flock was scattered. 

The doctrine of the rejected Messiah reaches its cul- 
mination in the words of Jesus on the way to Gethsemane. 

And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended : for it is 
written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scat- 
tered abroad. Howbeit, after I am raised up, 1 will go before you 
into Galilee. 1 ^Mark xiv. 27-28.) 

The crisis of the Messiah is now at hand. The pre- 
dictions of his sufferings and death have now reached 
their climax as the events are about to fulfil them. 

Here Jesus definitely represents himself as the Mes- 
sianic shepherd of the prophecy of Zechariah, 2 and warns 
his disciples of his impending death. He tells them that 
they will be scattered abroad. But he comforts them 
with the promise that he will not only rise again, but 
that he will meet them in Galilee. 

The apostles ought now to be prepared for the sad 
events that await them, by the interpretation given to 
them by Jesus of the neglected prophet, of the rejected 
corner-stone, and of the rejected shepherd,* as well as by 
his own thrice repeated prediction that his death would 
be followed by a speedy resurrection and the establish- 
ment of his kingdom. 4 



1 Matthew xxvi. 31-32 is essentially the same. The differences are that Mat- 
thew adds for explanation to "offended" " in me this night," and to "sheep," 
11 of the flock," and uses 61 for the stronger a/.? a. In all these respects Mark is 
nearer the Aramaic original. 

a Zechariah xiii. 7. » See pp. 112, 114. * See pp. 95 seg. y 107 seg. 



126 



THE MESSIAH 



THE REJECTED MESSIAH. 

§ 28. The Messiah takes the oath before the Sanhedrin 
that he is the Messiah and predicts his Advent on his 
throjie. He is mocked and crucified as the Messiah. 

The arrest of Jesus and his trial give occasion for 
solemn inquiry before the Sanhedrin, the highest tribu- 
nal of the nation, where he was called upon to take the 
oath by the high priest, whether he was the Messiah or 
not. 



Mark xiv. 61-64. 



Again 



I 



the high 
priest asked him, and 
saith unto him, Art 
thou the Messiah, the 
Son of the Blessed ? 
And Jesus said, I 
am : and ye shall see 
the Son of Man sit- 
ting at the right 
hand of power, and 
coming with the 
clouds of heaven. 
And the high priest 
rent his clothes, and 
saith, What further 
need have we of wit- 
nesses ? Ye have 
heard the blasphe- 
my : what think ye ? 
And they all con- 
demned him to be 
worthy of death. 



Matt. xxvi. 63-66. 

And the high 
priest said unto him, 
I adjure thee by the 
living God, that thou 
tell us whether thou 
be the Messiah, the 
Son of God. Jesus 
saith unto him, Thou 
hast said : neverthe- 
less I say unto you, 
Henceforth ye shall 
see the Son of Man 
sitting at the right 
hand of power, and 
coming on the clouds 
of heaven. Then the 
high priest rent his 
garments, saying, He 
hath spoken blas- 
phemy : what fur- 
ther need have we 
of witnesses ? be- 
hold, now ye have 
heard the blasphe- 
my : what think ye ? 
They answered and 
said, He is worthy of 
death. 



Luke xxii. 66-71. 

And as soon as it 
was day, the assem- 
bly of the elders of 
the people was gath- 
ered together, both 
chief priests and 
scribes ; and they led 
him away into their 
council, saying. If 
thou art the Messiah, 
tell us. But he said 
unto them, If I tell 
you, ye will not be- 
lieve : and if I ask 
you, ye will not an- 
swer. But from 
I henceforth shall the 
' Son of Man be seated 
at the right hand of 
the power of God. 
And they all said, 
Art thou then the 
Son of God? And 
he said unto them, 
Ye say it, for J am. 
And they said, What 
further need have 
we of witness ? for 
we ourselves have 
heard from his own 
mouth. 



OF MARK 127 

The official claim of Jesus to be the Messiah was re- 
jected by the Sanhedrin as blasphemous and he was 
condemned to death for making the claim. Jesus not 
only makes the claim to be the Messiah, but he pre- 
dicts that the Sanhedrin will see the enthronement of 
the Son of Man. He has not come at present with 
power, authority, and dominion. He has not been en- 
throned. His throne is not an earthly throne, but a 
heavenly throne. His second Advent will be from 
heaven upon the clouds as his chariot of power and 
victory. 

His claim to be at once the Messianic king and the 
Messianic Son of Man, thus becomes the ground for his 
persecution and death. Jesus is mocked by Pilate, Herod, 
and their soldiery as the Messiah. 1 Pilate presents him 
to the Pharisees and the people as their Messiah, 
crowned with thorns, with a reed sceptre and with royal 
attire, and they reject him and demand his crucifixion. 2 
Jesus is then crucified with the title on his cross, " The 
King of the Jezvs." 3 He is mocked by Pharisees and 
people, and even one of the crucified robbers, as the 
false Messiah. 4 

There can be no doubt, therefore, that Jesus claimed 
to be the Messianic king, and that he was rejected as a 
false Messiah by the Jews and crucified as such by the 
Romans at the solicitation of the Jews. 



1 Mark xv. 16-19; Matth. xxvii. 27-30 ; Luke xxiii. 11 ; John xix. 2, 3. 

2 Mark xv. 6-15; Matth. xxvii. 15-26; Luke xxiii. 13-25; John xviii. 39,40, 
xix. 4-16. 

3 Mark xv. 26. This is Jesus, the King of the Jews, Matth. xxvii. 37. This 
is the King oj the Jews, Luke xxiii. 38. Jesus 0/ Nazareth, the King 0/ the 
Jews, John xix. 19-22. 

* Mark xv. 31, 33 ; Matth. xxvii. 41-43; Luke xxiii. 35-37. 



128 



THE MESSIAH 



THE MESSIAH'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION. 

§ 29. The theophanies that accompany the crucifixion of 
Jesus and his own resurrection in fulfilment of his pre- 
dictions show him to be the everliving Messianic Son of 
God. 



The crucifixion of Jesus was accompanied with the- 
ophanic signs. 



Mark xv. 33-39. 

And when the 
sixth hour was come, 
there was darkness 
over the whole land 
until the ninth hour. 
And at the ninth 
hour Jesus cried with 
a loud voice, Eloz, 
Eloi, lama sabach- 
thani? which is, be- 
ing interpreted, My 
God, my God, why 
hast thou forsaken 
me? And some of 
them that stood by, 
when they heard it, 
said, Behold, he call- 
eth Elijah. And one 
ran, and filling a 
sponge full of vine- 
gar, put it on a reed, 
and gave him to 
drink, saying, Let be; 
let us see whether 
Elijah cometh to 
take him down. And 
Jesus uttered a loud 
voice, and gave up 
the ghost. And the 
veil of the temple 
was rent in twain 
from the top to the 
bottom. 



Matt, xxvii. 45-54. 

Now from the sixth 
hour there was dark- 
ness over all the land 
until the ninth hour. 
And about the ninth 
hour Jesus cried with 
a load voice, saying, 
Eli, Eli, lama sabach- 
thani? that is, My 
God, my God, why 
hast thou forsaken 
me? And some of 
them that stood 
there, when they 
heard it, said, This 
man calleth Elijah. 
And straightway one 
of them ran, and took 
a sponge, and filled it 
with vinegar, and put 
it on a reed, and gave 
him to drink. And 
the rest said, Let be; 
let us see whether 
Elijah cometh to 
save him. And Jesus 
cried again with a 
loud voice, and yield- 
ed up his spirit. And 
behold, the veil of the 
temple was rent in 
twain from the top 
to the bottom ; and 
the earth did quake ; ' 



Luke xxiii. 44-47. 

And it was now 
about the sixth 
hour, and a darkness 
came over the whole 
land until the ninth 
hour, the sun's light 
failing: and the veil 
of the temple was 
rent in the midst. 
And when Jesus had 
cried with a loud 
voice, he said, Fath- 
er, into thy hands I 
commend my spirit: 
and having said this, 
he gave up the ghost. 



OF MARK 



129 



And when the cen- 
turion, which stood 
by over against him, 
saw that he so gave 
up the ghost, he said, 
Truly this man was 
the Son of God. 



and the rocks were 
rent ; and the tombs 
were opened; and 
many bodies of the 
saints that had fallen 
asleep were raised ; 
and coming forth 
out of the tombs 
after his resurrection 
they entered into the 
holy city and ap- 
peared unto many. 
Now the centurion 
and they that were 
with him watching 
Jesus, when they saw 
the earth quake, and 
the things that were 
done, feared exceed- 
ingly, saying, Truly 
this was the Son of 
God. 



And when the cen- 
turion saw what was 
done, he glorified 
God, saying, Cer- 
tainly this was a 
r'ghteous man. 



The three evangelists unite in reporting the darkness 
and the earthquake. The darkness at midday, from 
noon until three o'clock in the afternoon, or total eclipse 
of the sun, was followed by an earthquake, that rent the 
rocks and tombs and the veil of the temple. Such trans- 
formations of nature are the usual accompaniment of 
theophanies. They are predicted in the Old Testament 
as accompaniments of the divine advent. They indicate 
the presence and power of God in nature. The presence 
and power of God were nowhere more to be expected 
than at the crucifixion of the Messiah. The rending of 
the veil of the temple was a sign that the temple at 
Jesusalem was rejected by God. His people had re- 
jected their Messiah. God had likewise rejected them 
and theirs. 

The three evangelists also agree in the following ac- 
count of the resurrection of Jesus: 



130 



THE MESSIAH 



I 



Mark xvi. 1-8. 

And when the Sab- 
bath was past, Mary- 
Magdalene, and Ma- 
ry the mother of 
James, and Salome, 
bought spices, that 
they might come and 
anoint him. And 
very early on the 
first day of the week, 
they come to the 
tomb when the sun 
was risen. And they 
were saying among 
themselves, Who 
shall roll us away 
the stone from the 
door of the tomb? 
and looking up, they 
see that the stone 
is rolled back: for 
it was exceeding 
great. And entering 
into the tomb, they 
saw a young man 
sitting on the right 
side, arrayed in a 
white robe ; and they 
were amazed. And he 
saith unto them, Be 
not amazed : ye seek 
Jesus, the Nazarene, 
which hath been cru- 
cified : he is risen ; 
he is not here : be- 
hold, the place where 
they laid him ! But 
go, tell his disciples 
and Peter, He goeth 
before you into Gal- 
ilee : there shall ye 
see him, as he said 
unto you. And they 
went out, and fled 
from the tomb ; for 
trembling and aston- 
ishment had come 
upon them. 



Matt, xxviii. 1-8. 

Now late on the 
sabbath day, as it be- 
gan to dawn toward 
the first day of the 
week, came Mary 
Magdalene and the 
other Mary to see the 
sepulchre. And be- 
hold, there was a 
great earthquake; 
for an angel of the 
Lord descended from 
heaven, and came 
and rolled away 
the stone, and sat 
upon it. His ap- 
pearance was as 
lightning, and his 
raiment white as 
snow : and for fear 
of him the watch- 
ers did quake, and 
became as dead men. 
And the angel an- 
swered and said unto 
the women, Fear not 
ye : for I know that 
ye seek Jesus, which 
hath been crucified. 
He is not here ; for 
he is risen, even as 
he said. Come, see 
the place where the 
Lord lay. And go 
quickly, and tell his 
disciples, He is risen 
from the dead ; and 
lo, he goeth before 
you into Galilee ; 
there shall ye see 
him : lo, I have told 
you. And they de- 
parted quickly from 
the tomb with fear 
and great joy, and 
ran to bring his dis- 
ciples word. 



Luke xxiv. 1-9. 

And on the sabbath 
they rested accord- 
ing to the command- 
ment. But on the 
first day of the week, 
at early dawn, they 
came unto the tomb, 
bringing the spices 
which they had pre- 
pared. And they 
found the stone 
rolled away from the 
tomb. And they en- 
tered in, and found 
not the body of the 
Lord Jesus. And it 
came to pass, while 
they were perplexed 
thereabout, behold, 
two men stood by 
them in dazzling ap- 
parel : and as they 
were affrighted, and 
bowed down their 
faces to the earth, 
they said unto them, 
Why seek ye the liv- 
ing among the dead ? 
He is not here, but is 
risen: remember how 
he spake unto you 
when he was yet in 
Galilee, saying that 
the Son of Man must 
be delivered up into 
the hands of sinful 
men, and be cruci- 
fied, and the third 
day rise again. And 
they remembered his 
words, and returned 
from the tomb, and 
told all these things 
to the eleven, and to 
all the rest. 



OF MARK 131 

Mark and Luke tell us that the women found the 
stone door rolled away from the entrance of the tomb 
of Jesus. 

Matthew tells us that this was accomplished by a great 
earthquake and the descent of an angel from heaven, 
filling the watch with terror. The three agree in a re- 
port that an angel announced to the women the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus. Matthew and Mark state that he showed 
them that the tomb was vacant, and told them to report 
to the disciples that they were to meet Jesus in Galilee. 
With this brief witness to the resurrection the Gospel of 
Mark comes to an end. 1 



1 The remaining verses of the sixteenth chapter area later addition to the orig- 
inal Gospel, as critics agree. They are separated in the Revised Version by a 
space with a note stating that they are not found in the two oldest MSS. We 
shall compare them in a subsequent chapter in their parallelism with Matthew 
and Luke. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS. 

The discourse of Jesus, given by the Synoptists in 
Matt, xxiv., Mark xiii., and Luke xxi., is an Apocalypse. 
It is intermediate between the Apocalypse of Daniel 
and the Apocalypse of John. As it depends upon the 
former and advances upon the Messianic idea contained 
therein, so it is the prelude to the latter and the key to 
its interpretation. 

The discourse is enlarged in Matt. xxiv. by the inser- 
tion of two sections : vers. 26-28, 37-41, that belong to 
another discourse given in a different connection in 
Luke, 1 and by the use of two parables, vers. 43-51, that 
are given by Luke 2 at an earlier date. Furthermore, 
Matthew adds chap, xxv., which contains two parables 
and a judgment scene which have no exact parallels in 
the other evangelists, although there are similar para- 
bles in Luke. 3 

These sections have all been added by Matthew in 
accordance with his custom to group the words of Jesus 
spoken at different times and under various circum- 
stances, about a central theme. That which remains 
after the elimination of these sections is, with few excep- 
tions, essentially the same in the three Synoptists, and 
is a discourse complete in itself, a real apocalypse. 



1 xvii. 22-37. a xii. 39-46. s xii. 35, 36, xix. 11-27. 

(132) 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 133 

This apocalypse resembles in many respects the Jew- 
ish pseudepigraphical apocalypses. This resemblance 
and the method of Matthew raise the question whether 
the critical knife should not go deeper and eliminate also 
the lesser sections that are peculiar to Mark and Luke, 
and even dissect the material that is common to the 
three evangelists. Accordingly, Colani ' proposed the 
theory that the apocalypse of Jesus contained a Jewish- 
Christian apocalypse which was used by Mark in con- 
nection with genuine words of Jesus, and probably was 
the same as the oracle mentioned by Eusebius, 2 which 
warned Christians to leave the doomed city of Jerusa- 
lem. This opinion was adopted by Weizsacker, 3 with 
the modifications that it was a Jewish apocalypse and 
that it had been taken from a lost section of the apoca- 
lypse of Enoch, in accordance with the citation in Bar- 
nabas." Pfleiderer 5 and Keim 6 held that it was a Jew- 
ish-Christian apocalypse. WeifTenbach 7 gave the whole 
subject a more elaborate treatment, and by a very care- 
ful analysis distinguished three parts of this original 
Jewish Christian apocalypse : (1) Mark xiii. 7-8, a=Matt. 
xxiv. 6-8 = Luke xxi. 9-1 1, giving the dpyrrj (hdivcov, 
(2) Mark xiii. i4-20=Matt. xxiv. 15-22, giving the 
6/J<fi^; (3) Mark xiii. 24~27=Matt. xxiv. 2C)-3i=Luke 
xxi. 25-27, giving the Tcaoovoia. Wendt 8 and Vis- 
cher 9 have also given their adhesion to the theory. 



1 Jesus Christ et les croyances messianiques de sen temp, 2 ed., 1864. 

2 Hist. Eccl. iii 5, 3. 

3 Untersuchungen, 1864, s. 121-26. 

* Barnabas, c. iv. 

6 Jahrb. /. d. Thcologie, xiii., 1868, S. 134, 149. 

• Jesu v. Naz., iii., s. 200-206. 

7 Wiederkunftsgedanke Jesu, 1873. 

8 Lehre Jesu, ib86, s. 16:. 

9 Die Offenbarung Johannis, 1886. See also The Presbyterian Review, 1888, 
p. 112. 



I 



134 THE MESSIAH 

It is true that these three sections which have been 
separated by Weiffenbach are apocalyptic in character. 
They resemble in many respects the Jewish pseudepi- 
graphical apocalypses. But this is because they all 
depend on the apocalypse of Daniel, and use the lan- 
guage of the judgment scenes of the Old Testament 
Prophets. There is no sufficient reason why Jesus him- 
self should not have used the Old Testament in the 
same manner. We ought to expect that Jesus in his 
predictions would bridge the time between the apoca- 
lypse of Daniel and the apocalypse of John, and give an 
intermediate stage in the development of the apocalyp- 
tic prophecy, if, as we believe, these apocalypses give us 
genuine prediction. Weiffenbach's elimination of this 
older apocalypse from the discourse of Jesus enabled 
him to propose the theory that Jesus' prediction of his 
second Advent was only another phase of his prediction 
of his resurrection, and that anything in the gospels that 
teaches a different doctrine does not belong to Jesus, 
but to the misconceptions of his disciples. 

The apocalypse of Jesus has been much discussed in 
recent years. J. S. Russell, 1 an English scholar, in 
1878 proposed the theory that our Lord's predictions as 
to his Parousia were fulfilled in connection with the 
destruction of Jerusalem. Israel P. Warren, a an 
American divine, maintained that the Parousia is not an 
event, but a dispensation, embracing the spiritual pres- 
ence of Jesus during the entire period from the estab- 
lishment of the kingdom at Pentecost until the transfor- 
mation of nature at the end of the world. Professor 
Willibald Beyschlag, of Halle, thinks that our Lord 
embraces in his conception of his advent the reunion 



The Parousia, 2d ed., 1887. a The Parousia, ad ed M 1884. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 135 

with his disciples begun at the resurrection, renewed at 
Pentecost, and maintained in spiritual presence during 
the entire period of the world, yes, even to eternity. 1 

These recent theories have greatly enlarged and im- 
proved the discussion, for they have been based upon a 
comprehensive study of New Testament prophecy. 
They have all been defective in their apprehension of 
the fundamental importance of the Old Testament proph- 
ecy. The theory of Weiffenbach and his associates 
removes the apocalyptic features from the discourse of 
Jesus and attaches them to a Jewish-Christian apoca- 
lypse. The theories of Russell, Warren, and Beyschlag 
agree in making them symbolical, the drapery or the 
scenery of the prediction. 

§ 30. Jerusalem is to be destroyed after a siege and 
trodden under foot of the Gentiles. The temple is to be 
destroyed and there will be a short time of extraordinary 
distress. The signs of these events are armies laying siege 
and a desecration of the temple. False Messiahs arid 
prophets will arise, and there will be wars, rumors of 
wars, insurrections, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, ter- 
rors, and great signs from heaven ; the beginnings of the 
birth-throes of the End of the Age. There will be signs 
of the Advent of the Son of Man in the darkening of the 
sun, moon, and stars; the shaking of earth, heaven, and sea; 
distress of nations, perplexity, and fear. All these will 
transpire in the generation of Jesus and show that the End 
is near. There will be a Gospel Age for the preacliing of 
the gospel to the nations. This will be accompanied by 
persecutions and false prophets and apostacy. Patience 
and perseverance will be required until the End. There 
will be a Gentile Age during which Jertisalem will be held 



» Das Leben Jesu, i., s. 357-64- 



136 



THE MESSIAH 



in subjection. The Son of Man will come on the clouds with 
the holy angels and the trumpet blast for the redemption of 
the elect, who will be gathered by angels from all parts. 
It will be for the completion of the age and the establish- 
ment of the kingdom of glory. The time of the Advent is 
not known even to the Son, but to the Father only. It may 
be early or late. It is near and impending, sure to come, 
but uncertain as to time, requiring all to watch and pray. 



I 



(i) The Prelude. 
Mark xiii. i, 2. Matt. xxiv. 1, 2. Luke xxi. 5, 6. 



And as he went 
forth out of the tem- 
ple, one of his disci- 
ples saith unto him, 
Master, behold, what 
manner of stones 
and what manner of 
buildings! And 
Jesus said unto him, 
Seest thou these 
great buildings? 
there shall not be 
left here one stone 
upon another, which 
shall not be thrown 
down. 



And Jesus went 
out from the temple, 
and was going on 
his way ; and his dis- 
ciples came to him 
to show him the 
buildings of the tem- 
ple. But he an- 
swered and said unto 
them, See ye not 
all these things? 
verily I say unto you, 
There shall not be 
left here one stone 
upon another, that 
shall not be thrown 
down. 



And as some spake 
of the temple, how it 
was adorned with 
goodly stones and 
offerings, he said, As 
for these things 
which ye behold, the 
days will come, in 
which there shall not 
be left here one stone 
upon another, that 
shall not be thrown 
down. 



The Synoptists agree closely in the prelude which 
gives the circumstances under which the Apocalypse 
was uttered. The temple which the disciples so greatly 
admired for its magnificence and beauty, was to be de- 
stroyed so utterly that there would not be left one stone 
upon another. This prediction of the destruction of the 
temple is similar to the prediction with reference to the 
city of Jerusalem — " The days shall come upon thee, 
when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and 
compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 



137 



and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children 
within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone 
upon another." l The destruction of the temple here is to 
be as the destruction of the city there — total. 



Mark xiii. 3, 4. 

And as he sat on 
the mount of Olives 
over against the tem- 
ple, Peter and James 
and John and An- 
drew asked him pri- 
vately, Tell us, when 
shall these things be? 
and what shall be the 
sign when these 
things are all about 
to be accomplished ? 



(2) The Inquiry. 

Matt. xxiv. 3. 

And as he sat on 
the mount of Olives, 
the disciples came 
unto him privately, 
saying, Tell us, when 
shall these things 
be? and what shall 
be the sign of thy 
coming, and of the 
End of the Age ? 



Luke xxi. 7. 

And they asked 
him, saying, Master, 
when therefore shall 
these things be ? and 
what shall be the sign 
when these things 
are about to come 
to pass ? 



The disciples have been deeply impressed by the pre- 
diction with respect to the destruction of the temple. 
They take advantage of their being apart on the Mount 
of Olives to inquire more deeply into this matter. Ac- 
cording to Mark, the question seems to have been asked 
by four apostles only. We have first to inquire as to 
the scope and matter of their question. According to 
Mark, it is simply as to " these things " which the con- 
text refers to the destruction of the temple. The same 
is true of Luke, save that the phrase, " There shall not 
be left here one stone upon another," used with refer- 
ence to the temple, would remind them of the same pre- 
diction made a few days before in the vicinity overlook- 
ing Jerusalem, with reference to the city ; and the sub- 
sequent context of Luke evidently includes the destruc- 



> Luke xix. 43, 44. 



133 THE MESSIAH 

tion of the city in the answer to the questions. It is, 
therefore, probable that it was included in the inquiry, 
in the minds of the apostles as well as of Jesus. Further- 
more, as Weiss l says : " The radra refers primarily to 
the destruction of the temple, but the plural would not 
have been used if it had not been regarded as including 
a series of decisive events whose final accomplishment 
was comprehended in the thLvtol." When now we look 
to Matthew we find that he represents the inquiry as 
more specific — " thy coming" and " the End of the Age" 
He gives us two technical terms of New Testament 
prophecy, the napouaia and the aovzelela too aitivoq. 
It is necessary for us to determine their meaning, and 
also to learn how these events come to be included in 
the question according to Matthew. These questions 
are entwined to some extent. It seems that, in the 
mind of the Evangelist Matthew, Jesus has been lead- 
ing his apostles through the events and discourses of 
the week in Jerusalem to the climax of this discourse. 
He had already predicted that the nation, with its holy 
city and temple, would be destroyed by armies, that all 
the woes for the rejected prophets and the Messiah would 
come upon that generation, and that the Messiah would 
come again and be greeted with hosannas. It also seems 
likely that it was in the mind of the evangelist that Jesus 
would now give his chosen apostles an esoteric key to 
the mysteries of his Messianic future, as the culmination 
of all his discourses on the subject, and from this point of 
view Matthew does not hesitate to combine other dis- 
courses of Jesus with this main one, and to gather a 
group of parables about the central theme. 

The napouaia is the technical term for the second 






1 Marcusevangeliutn, s. 411, 412. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 139 

Advent of Jesus himself. 1 lovzelda zoi> accovoz is " com- 
pletion of the age." We might think of the age of the 
Old Testament dispensation coming to completion in 
the age of the Messiah. 2 This would be proper from the 
point of view of the Old Testament itself, and possibly 
of the apostles also. It is usually rendered " comple- 
tion of the age of the world " or " End of the world." 
But this involves the theory that Jesus is here predict- 
ing events at the end of the world. This may be so, but 
it is hardly proper to put this theory into the translation 
of a phrase which does not in itself have so definite a 
meaning. It seems clear from the context and the 
parallelism of the question that the disciples and Jesus 
understood in this phrase the age that would be com- 
pleted by the Parousia, so that everything depends 
upon our interpretation of the latter. The additional 
feature of Matthew is an inquiry as to the second Advent 
of the Messiah. With regard to the matter of the in- 
quiry, there are two events which differ in form, if not 
in substance. The one is common to the three evan- 
gelists, and relates to the destruction of the temple ; the 
other is peculiar to Matthew, and relates to the second 
Advent of the Messiah. 

There are two distinct questions as to these events 
given by the three evangelists: (1) "When shall these 



1 I do not see that it makes any very important difference whether we trans- 
late it " coming," as in the text of the R. V., or "presence," as in the margin of 
the R. V., and I think that the polemic of Dr. Warren {Parousia, p. 25) against 
the former, and the term "second advent," is without justification; for it still 
remains to determine what is the nature of that " coming " or " presence " or 
" advent " which is here predicted. Even a " presence " must have its point of 
beginning, and that is the real question, after all. It is not denied that the 
advent is followed by a long-continued presence of the Messiah with his people, 
and even if we lay the stress on the presence, we must distinguish between it and 
the earthly life of Jesus, and use the term second presence. 

2 Russell, Parousia, p. 59. 



I 



140 THE MESSIAH 

things be ? " 1 (2) What shall be the sign ? 8 The sign 
of what ? Mark gives " when these things are all about 
to be accomplished "; Luke, " when these things are about 
to come to pass." This is most naturally to be inter- 
preted of the same things as the previous question — 
namely, the destruction of the temple, with the other 
events that clustered about it in the mind of Jesus and 
his apostles. Matthew specifies the second Advent. 
This raises the question whether Matthew regarded the 
second Advent and the judgment of Jerusalem as the 
same, 3 or whether he designs to lay stress upon the 
second Advent as an altogether different event. This 
question will be determined as we proceed. It is suf- 
ficient here to remark that the prediction of Jesus in 
the prelude favors the form of the question in Mark and 
Luke ; but the answer of Jesus to the question in the sub- 
sequent context favors the form of the question given 
by Matthew. 

There are two questions which determine the answers 
of Jesus and the analysis of the discourse ; (1) the time, 
(2) the signs. 

(3) The Negative Answer as to the Time. 



Mark xiii. 5-8. 

And Jesus began 
to say unto them, 
Take heed that no 
man lead you astray. 
Many shall come in 
my name, saying, I 
am he ; and shall 
lead many astray. 
[And when ye shall 
hear of wars and ru- 
mors of wars, be not 



Matt. xxiv. 4-8. 
And Jesus an- 



Luke xxi. 8-1 1. 
And he said, Take 



swered and said unto heed that ye be not 

them, Take heed led astray : for many 

that no man lead you shall come in my 

astray. For many name, saying, I am 

shall come in my he ; and The time is 

name, saying, I am the at hand: go ye not 

Messiah; and shall after them. [And 

lead many astray, when ye shall hear 

[And ye shall hear of wars and tumults, 

of wars and rumors be not terrified : for 



7T(5r£ ravra karai. 2 ri to otjjueIov. » Russell, Parousia, p. 82. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 



141 



troubled: these 
things must needs 
come to pass ; but 
the End is not yet. 
For nation shall rise 
against nation, and 
kingdom against 
kingdom; there shall 
be earthquakes in di- 
vers places ; there 
shall be famines : 
these things are the 
beginning of travail.] 



of wars : see that ye 
be not troubled ; for 
these things must 
needs come to pass ; 
but the End is not 
yet. For nation shall 
rise against nation, 
and kingdom against 
kingdom : and there 
shall be famines and 
earthquakes in di- 
vers places. But all 
these things are the 
beginning of travail.j 



these things must 
needs come to pass 
first ; but the End 
is not immediately. 
Then said he unto 
them, Nation shall 
rise against nation, 
and kingdom against 
kingdom : and there 
shall be great earth- 
quakes, and in divers 
places famines and 
pestilences; and 
there shall be ter- 
rors and great signs 
from heaven. J 



Jesus answers the first question as to the time when, 
and, first of all, negatively, {a) They are in peril of 
being led astray by false Messiahs. Men will come 
claiming to be the Messiah, and they will have follow- 
ers. These will come with the words, " I am the Mes- 
siah " (Matthew) and " the time is at hand " (Luke). In 
this respect they will repeat the message of Jesus and 
John the Baptist. This will happen in the interval 
prior to the time of the apostles' question. It is clear, then, 
that Jesus has here chiefly in mind his Tiapouoia, and 
not the destruction of the city and temple. He warns 
his disciples that they be not deceived by false Messiahs 
who will come, and may mislead them to think that the 
Paronsia of Jesus is in them. 1 

{b) There will be wars (Mark, Matthew, Luke) and 
rumors of wars (Mark and Matthew) and tumults (Luke). 
It is necessary that these should occur in the interval. 



i Weiss {Marcusevangelium^ s. 413) thinks that it is incredible that Jesus 
should have begun his answer to the question of the disciples in this way, and 
draws the inference that the entire introduction, with the exception of vers. 6, 8, 
9, did not belong to the Apocalypse itself, which was originally a discourse to the 
apostles. 



142 THE MESSIAH 

They will precede the End : " The End is not yet " * (Mat- 
thew and Mark) ; " The End is not immediately " 2 
(Luke). The End is the equivalent of the End or 
completion of the age. This term used by the three 
evangelists shows that Matthew's specification of this 
event in the question was involved in the more general 
terms used by the other evangelists. The time of the 
second advent of Jesus is therefore subsequent to these 
false Messiahs and wars. It cannot take place until these 
events have happened ; it is not immediate (Luke) ; it is 
not yet (Mark and Matthew). 

(c) There will be not only wars widespread and gen- 
eral, but also earthquakes and famines. These are rep- 
resented as " the beginning of travail," dpfy wdivcov 
(Mark and Matthew). The time or age is conceived as 
a woman in the pangs of child-birth, who is to bring 
forth the end. These distresses are the beginnings of 
the birth throes ; others are to follow before the birth 
of the last hour, in which the Messiah will come. 

{d) In addition to the distresses already referred to, 
Luke mentions pestilences, terrors, and great signs from 
heaven. By great signs from heaven he probably means 
commotions in the heavenly bodies, comets, eclipses, 
and the like. 

All these things must come to pass, and after they 
have transpired it will appear that the End, the comple- 
tion of the age, the Advent of the Messiah are not imme- 
diate, are not yet. There are other birth throes to fol- 
low. Thus we have a definite answer to the question as 
to the time of the Advent from the negative side. 
Jesus tells them when it is not to be. 3 



1 oviru (torlv) to teTioq. 2 ovk ev6iug rb rkTiO^. 

s It is urged by Weiffenbach that £, c y d, enclosed in parentheses above, con- 
stitute the first section of the Jewish Christian Apocalypse. The disturbances 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 



143 



(4) The Positive Answer as to the Time. 



Mark xiii. 9-13. 1 Matt. xxiv. 9-14. 1 



But take ye heed 
to yourselves : for 
they shall deliver 
you up to councils ; 
and in synagogues 
shall ye be beaten ; 
and before governors 
and kings shall ye 
stand for my sake, 
for a testimony unto 
them. And the gos- 
pel must first be 
preached unto all 



Then shall they 
deliver you up unto 
tribulation, and shall 
kill you : and ye shall 
be hated of all the na- 
tions for my name's 
sake. And then shall 
many s':umble, and 
shall deliver up one 
another, and . shall 
hate one another. 
And many false 
prophets shall arise, 



Luke xxi. 12-19. 

But before all these 
things, they shall lay 
their hands on you, 
and shall persecute 
you, delivering you 
up to the synagogues 
and prisons, bring- 
ing you before kings 
and governors for 
my name's sake. It 
shall turn unto you 
for a testimony. Set- 
tle it therefore in 



here described are such as we would expect to find in such a writing, but they are 
also such as we might expect to find in an apocalypse of Jesus, and they are not 
at all discordant with a, but rather harmonious with the coming of the false 
Messiahs. All these are woes, birth throes. That this idea is found in Jewish 
pseudepigrapha amounts to nothing. It was derived by them from the Old Tes- 
tament, the common source of the Christian apocalypses as well as the Jewish, 
the canonical and uncanonical as well, and there is no sufficient reason why Jesus 
should not have used it. (Comp. Isa. xiii. 8, xxvi. 18 ; Jer. xiii. 21, xxii. 23; 
Hos. xiii. 13 ; Mic. iv. 9, 10.) 

1 Matthew here differs from Mark and Luke, because he has already used Mark 
xiii. 11-13 in connection with the sending forth of the twelve (x. 17-22). The 
passage very much resembles this section of the Apocalypse in Mark. It is given 
here for comparison. 

" But beware of men : for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their 
synagogues they will scourge you ; yea and before governors and kings shall 
ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But 
when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak : for it shall 
be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but 
the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. And brother shall deliver up 
brother to death, and the father his child : and children shall rise up against 
parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men 
for my name's sake : but he that endureth to the End, the same shall be saved." 

It would appear that the author of Matthew has confounded this extract with a 
sentence of Jesus spoken on another occasion in Luke xii. 11, 12. This is replaced 
by brief or general statements of a more comprehensive character relating to 
the preaching of the gospel to the nations. Weiss thinks that this was an inde- 
pendent prediction of the apostles' work that is not in its correct place in any of 
the evangelists, but belonged to the close of the life of Jesus. {Marcusevang., 
s. 416.) 



H4 



THE MESSIAH 



the nations. And 
when they lead you 
to judgment, and de- 
liver you up, be not 
anxious beforehand 
what ye shall speak ; 
but whatsoever shall 
be given you in that 
hour, that speak ye : 
for it is not ye that 
speak, but the Holy 
Spirit. And brother 
shall deliver up 
brother to death, 
and the father his 
child ; and children 
shall rise up against 
parents, and cause 
them to be put to 
death. And ye shall 
be hated of all men 
for my name's sake : 
but he that endureth 
to the End, the same 
shall be saved. 



and shall lead many 
astray. And b e - 
cause iniquity shall 
be multiplied, the 
love of the many 
shall wax cold. But 
he that endureth to 
the End, the same 
shall be saved. And 
this gospel of the 
kingdom shall be 
preached in the 
whole world for a 
testimony unto all 
the nations ; and 
then shall the End 
come. 



your hearts, not to 
meditate beforehand 
how to answer: for I 
will give you a mouth 
and wisdom, which 
all your adversaries 
shall not be able to 
withstand or to gain- 
say. But ye shall be 
delivered up even by 
parents, and breth- 
ren, and kinsfolk, 
and friends; and 
some of you shall 
they cause to be put 
to death. And ye 
shall be hated of all 
men for my name's 
sake. And not a hair 
of your head shall 
perish. In your pa- 
tience ye shall win 
your souls. 



The evangelists differ somewhat in their statements as 
to time. Mark begins with the positive statement : " And 
the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations," 
and closes with : " He that endureth to the End, the 
same shall be saved." Matthew brings both of these 
statements to the close of the section, and changes their 
order — " But he that endureth to the End, the same 
shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all 
the nations ; and then shall the End come." These are 
positive statements that the End, the completion of the 
age, the second Advent, will come after the accomplish- 
ment of the preaching of the gospel to the world. The 
End (to ri/oc) is the time when the endurance of the 
preachers will be completed, when their ministry will 
have been accomplished. The gospel must first be 



OP THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 145 

preached to all the nations is the statement of Mark. 
After this preaching of the gospel has been accomplished 
" then shall the End come " is the statement of Matthew. 

Luke's language is different in form, but the same in 
substance. He represents Jesus as saying, "Before all 
these things." This cannot refer to the immediate con- 
text, but goes back upon the original question, and 
affirms that before all these things relating to the Advent 
of the Messiah, the preaching of the gospel to the world 
must take place. It is similar, therefore, to Mark. The 
teaching of this section is that the age prior to the 
second Advent is an age of the preaching of the gospel. 
The circumstances of this preaching are given with con- 
siderable detail. 

(a) There is the commission to preach the gospel "unto 
all the nations " (Mark); "to all the nations"; " in the 
whole world " (Matthew). These terms are general, if not 
universal. There is nothing in the text or context to limit 
them even to the Roman Empire. 1 It is not necessary 
to suppose that they are so universal as to include every 
nation without exception, or the entire extent of the 
habitable globe, without the omission of any part what- 
ever. But the language is as general and universal as 
possible. The gospel was to be preached to the nations 
and to the whole habitable globe, that the nations and 
the world might be saved and not be condemned in the 
judgment of the world. This is the scope of the preach- 
ing of the gospel. Until this has been accomplished, 
the second Advent cannot come. So soon as this has 
been accomplished the second Advent will come. 2 

1 So Russell would have it, relying upon Col. i. 6, 23 (in 1. c., p. 70 seg.). 

3 We iff en bach thinks that this verse was inserted from another connection, and 
finds a discrepancy between the thought of a speedy advent and an age of the 
world-wide preaching of the gospel (in 1. c, s. 138 seq.). This discrepancy is 
evident if we fail to make the proper discriminations. 



146 THE MESSIAH 

(b) This preaching of the gospel is " for a testimony," 
e*c fiapropcov — not that all the nations will be saved, or 
that all the world and every person will embrace the gos- 
pel, but that the gospel may be offered to the world, and 
so be the test of the world in the judgment of the world. 

(c) The promise is made of the presence and power 
of the Holy Spirit to direct them in their testimony. 
They are not to be anxious in preparation of what they 
are to say, but to trust in the Holy Spirit and utter 
what he speaks through them. This is a promise of the 
immanent presence and power of the Holy Spirit, 
made to the apostles during their ministry of preaching 
the gospel to the world. 

(d) The apostles will preach in synagogues, before the 
Sanhedrin, and before governors and kings, and will 
suffer persecution (Mark and Luke). 

(e) Relatives and friends will turn against them (Mark 
and Luke). 

(/) False prophets will arise to counteract their influ- 
ence (Matthew). 

(g) Lukewarmness and apostasy will be found among 
the disciples (Matthew). 

{k) They will be hated by all men (Mark, Matthew, 
and Luke). 

(i) They will require endurance and patience (Mark, 
Matthew, and Luke). 

Many of these circumstances were peculiar to the 
work of the apostles. The most of them represent very 
well the condition of the preachers during the martyr 
age. But there are several features that have always 
accompanied the preaching of the gospel, even until the 
present time. And we can hardly say that the preach- 
ing of the gospel to the whole world has yet been ac- 
complished. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS \tf 

Jesus in this section teaches that the Tiapouata is to be 
preceded by a gospel age, and that the whole time pre- 
vious to it is occupied by the preaching of his gospel. 
Inasmuch as this preaching is to be accompanied by the 
presence and power of the Holy Spirit, it is evident that 
the Tiapo'jaia of this discourse is something different 
from the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that it is an advent 
that brings to an end a period which has been charac- 
terized by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in 
the preaching of the gospel. 

Jesus thus far has answered the question as to the 
time. He answered it negatively, that there would be 
false Messiahs, wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, 
terrors, and signs from heaven, the first of the birth 
throes of the End, but that the End was not imme- 
diate, was not yet. He then answered the question posi- 
tively, and said that the End would come after the gos- 
pel had been preached to all nations, to the habitable 
globe. 

It is noteworthy that ia these answers Jesus makes 
no reference whatever to the destruction of the temple, 
— the chief thing apparently in the form of the ques- 
tion according to Mark and Luke ; but he refers entirely 
to the End, the completion of the age, in the form of 
the question given by Matthew. 

(5) The Sign of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the 

Temple. 
Matt. xxiv. 15-22. 



When therefore ye 
see the abomination 
of desolation, which 



Mark xiii. 14-20. ! 

But when ye see 
the abomination of 
desolation standing 

1 This section, as given by Mark and Matthew, is regarded by Weiffenbach as 
the second section of the original Jewish-Christian apocalypse which has been 
used by the Evangelist Mark and taken from him by Matthew. 



Luke xxi. 20-24. 

But when ye see 
Jerusalem com- 
passed with armies, 



148 



THE MESSIAH 



where it ought not 
(let him that readeth 
understand), then let 
them that are in 
Judaea flee unto the 
mountains : and let 
him that is on the 
housetop not go 
down, nor enter in, 
to take anything out 
of his house : and 
let him that is in the 
field not return back 
to take his cloke. 
But woe unto them 
that are with child 
and to them that 
give suck in those 
days ! And pray ye 
that it be not in the 
winter. For those 
days shall be tribu- 
lation, such as there 
hath not been the 
like from the begin- 
ning of the creation 
which God created 
until now, and never 
shall be. And ex- 
cept the Lord had 
shortened the days, 
no flesh would have 
been saved : but for 
the elect's sake, 
whom he chose, he 
shortened the days. 



was spoken of 
through Daniel the 
prophet, standing in 
the holy place (let 
him that readeth un- 
derstand), then let 
them that are in 
Judaea flee unto the 
mountains : let him 
that is on the house- 
top not go down to 
take out the things 
that are in his house : 
and let him that is in 
the field not return 
back to take h i s 
cloke. But woe unto 
them that are with 
child and to them 
that give suck in 
those days ! And 
pray ye that your 
flight be not in the 
winter, neither on 
a sabbath : for then 
shall be great tribu- 
lation, such as hath 
not been from the 
beginning of the 
world until now, no, 
nor ever shall " be. 
And except those 
days had been short- 
ened, no flesh would 
have been saved : but 
for the elect's sake 
those days shall be 
shortened. 



then know that her 
desolation is at hand. 
Then let them that 
are in Judaea flee 
unto the mountains ; 
and let them that are 
in the midst of her 
depart out ; and let 
not them that are in 
the country enter 
therein. For these 
are days of ven- 
geance, that all 
things which are 
written may be ful- 
filled. Woe unto 
them that are with 
child and to them 
that give suck in 
those days ! for there 
shall be great dis- 
tress upon the land, 
and wrath unto this 
people. And they 
shall fall by the edge 
of the sword, and 
shall be led captive 
into all the nations : 
and Jerusalem shall 
be trodden down of 
the Gentiles, until 
the times of the Gen- 
tiles be fulfilled. 



I 



Our Saviour now directs the attention of his apostles 
to the signs. 

According to Mark and Matthew, he refers to the 
" abomination of desolation." 1 Mark gives "standing 



i to j3d£?ivyfia rfjq kp^fiuaeuc. This is represented by Matthew as the 
DDb* ^pfc? of Daniel xii. n, cf. ix. 27, xi. 31. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS I4.9 

where it ought not." ' Matthew is more explicit, " stand- 
ing in the holy place." 2 Here Jesus gives the sign pre- 
dicted by Daniel as the sign heralding the destruction of 
the temple. The holy place is the holy place of the temple 
which was to be desecrated by this abomination of deso- 
lation standing there where it ought not to be. Daniel rep- 
resents the desolator as a gigantic vulture, a bird of prey 
who comes down with his foul and abominable wings to de- 
file and destroy the sacred places; andpredictstheremoval 
of the continual burnt-offering and the setting up of the 
abomination that maketh desolate in its place. Jesus 
uses this prediction of Daniel, and points to its fulfilment 
as a sign of warning, giving little time for escape from 
ruin. Accordingly, the view of Weiss 3 that the abom- 
ination of desolation is the Roman army, and that the 
holy place is the holy land, though it brings Matthew and 
Mark into closer connection with Luke, is to be rejected 
as not in accordance with the specific reference to Daniel 
and the most natural interpretation of the passage. 
Pfleiderer 4 rightly insists that the passages in Daniel and 
1 Maccabees i. 54 force to the conclusion that it was a 
desecration of the temple while it was still in existence. 
The days are days of extraordinary affliction, 6 so un- 
precedented, and so unique for future time that, in order 
to the salvation of the elect, God shortened them. This 
shortening of the days in connection with the abomina- 
tion of desolation of Daniel, reminds us of the statement 
of Daniel: "And he will confirm the covenant with 
many for one week; and in the middle of the week he 
will cause peace offering and vegetable offering to cease ; 
and upon the wing of abomination will be a desolator." * 



1 bnov oil del, 2 karbq ev tgttu ayiu. 

3 Marcusevangclium, s. 421. * Jahr.f. d. 7'., 1868, s. 137 



0A/^/f fityn/.i/. * ix. 27. 



150 THE MESSIAH 

" And from the time that the continual burnt offering 
shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh 
desolate set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is he 
that waiteth, and cometh to the 1,335 days." 1 There is 
a week at the end of the Old Testament dispensation, in 
the middle of which the affliction culminates, the holy 
place is desecrated, and the holy city and its institutions 
destroyed. 3 

Luke is so different here that it looks like part of ano- 
ther discourse, save that the movement of thought is 
essentially the same as in the discourse given in Mark 
and Matthew. We have already noticed that the ques- 
tion of the disciples seems to have the temple chiefly in 
view. Accordingly, Matthew and Mark give words of 
Jesus that have to do with a sign in the temple. But 
Luke gives a sign that has to do with the city — " When 
ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that 
her desolation is at hand." This preparation to lay siege 
to Jerusalem is a sign already referred to : " Thine ene- 
mies will cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee 
round, and keep thee in on every side." 8 

Accordingly, Jesus predicts the destruction of the 
city, and warns Christians to flee from it and not enter 
it. All that has been written will be fulfilled upon her, 
in Luke, takes the place of the prediction of Daniel, in 
Mark and Matthew. The land and people are to suffer 
great distress, the people are to be put to the sword and 
carried away into captivity, and Jerusalem will be trod- 
den down by the nations. 

In place of the shortened time of Matthew and Mark, 
Luke mentions the times of the Gentiles. The latter is 
much more comprehensive than the former. It is no 
shortened time, but a time during which the Gentiles 

1 xii. ii, 12. 2 Briggs' Messia?iic Prophecy, pp. 424 scq. s Luke xix. 43. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 151 

keep Jerusalem in subjection. It corresponds with the 
times of the gospel of the previous context, for the times 
of the Gentiles are the times of their supremacy until 
the judgment upon the Gentiles. The destruction of 
Jerusalem and the Jewish nation was a judgment upon 
the Jews inflicted by the Gentiles. The Gentiles were 
now to have their time until their judgment came. The 
discourse in Luke is here much wider in its sweep and 
longer in its outlook than in the parallel passages of 
Matthew and Mark. Luke has essentially the same 
thing, but he presents it from the point of view of the 
Gentiles ; while Mark and Matthew give it from the 
Jewish-Christian point of view. The latter give us a 
short time, a broken week of tribulation, which carries on 
the thought of the beginningof the birth throes in section 
(3). The former gives us a time of the Gentiles which cor- 
responds with the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles 
in section (4). Taking the two representations together, 
we are taught that the time of the beginningof the birth 
throes will be followed by a short time of tribulation and 
the destruction of the city and temple ; and that there is 
also a period of the preaching of the gospel to the Gen- 
tiles and of the supremacy of the Gentiles, that will 
extend until the time of the Gentiles has reached its 
end, and the time for the Parousia has come. 1 

(6) The Sign of the Second Advent. 11 



Matt. xxiv. 29-31. 

But immediately, 
after the tribulation 



Luke xxi. 25-27. 

And there shall be 
signs in sun and 



Mark xiii. 24-27. 

But in those days, 
after that tribula- 

1 The section that follows in Mark (xiii. 21-23) an d Matthew (xxiv. 23-28) does 
not belong to the apocalypse. It is given by Luke (xvii. 22-37) m connection with 
another discourse respecting the Advent, where it is more appropriate. (Weiss, 
Marcusevangelium, s. 424.) 

2 This section is the third section of the original Jewish apocalypse, according 
to the theory of Weiffenbach. 



152 



THE MESSIAH 



tion, the sun shall be 
darkened, and the 
moon shall not give 
her light, and the 
stars shall be falling 
from heaven, and the 
powers that are in 
the heavens shall be 
shaken. And then 
shall they see the 
Son of Man coming 
in clouds with great 
power and glory. 
And then shall he 
send forth the 
angels, and shall 
gather together his 
elect from the four 
winds, from the ut- 
termost part of the 
earth to the utter- 
most part of heaven. 



moon and stars ; and 
upon the earth dis- 
tress of nations, in 
perplexity for the 
roaring of the sea 
and the billows ; men 
fainting for fear, and 
for expectation of 
the things which are 
coming on the world: 
for the powers of 
the heavens shall be 
shaken And then 
shall they see the 
Son of Man coming 
in a cloud with 
power and great 
glory. 



of those days, the 
sun shall be dark- 
ened, and the moon 
shall not give her 
light, and the stars 
shall fall from 
heaven, and the 
powers of the heav- 
ens shall be shaken : 
and then shall ap- 
pear the sign of the 
Son of Man in heav- 
en : and then shall 
all the tribes of the 
earth mourn, and 
they shall see the 
Son of Man coming 
on the clouds of 
heaven with power 
and great glory. And 
he shall send forth 
his angels w i t h a 
great sound of a 
trumpet, and they 
shall gather together 
his elect from the 
four winds, from one 
end of heaven to the 
other. 

We now have a second answer to the question as to 
the sign. As the previous section answers the question 
so far as to give the sign of the destruction of the tem- 
ple and Jerusalem, this section gives the signs of the 
Advent of the Messiah. These signs are the usual ones 
of Old Testament prophecy. 

(i) The sun shall be darkened ; (2) the moon shall not 
give her light ; (3) the stars shall fall from heaven ; 
(4) the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matthew, 
Mark, Luke) ; (5) upon the earth distress of nations ; 
(6) roaring of the sea and the billows ; (7) men fainting for 
fear and expectation of what is coming (Luke) ; (8)thesign 
of the Son of Man in heaven ; (9) all the tribes of the 
earth mourning (Matthew). 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 153 

Joel uses I, 2, 3, and 4 with reference to the judgment 
of the nations in the vale of Jehoshaphat, 1 and with refer- 
ence to the day of Yahweh, which he represents as near. 3 
Another prophet 3 declares that the day of Yahweh is 
near, with special mention of the judgment of Babylon, 
and uses signs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, and adds, 10 : "The 
earth will be shaken out of her place." A prophet of the 
exile 4 refers to the judgment of the earth, and uses 1, 2, 
and 10. Another prophecy 5 uses similar language with 
reference to the judgment of the nations : 

And all the host of heaven will consume away, 
And the heavens will be rolled together as a scroll : 
And all their host will fade away, 
As the leaf fadeth from off the vine, 
And as a fading leaf from the fig-tree. fl 

Thus these are the familiar theophanic signs that 
accompany the Day of Yahweh and the Advent of Yah- 
weh, which the prophets ever represent as near. 

Matthew differs from the other evangelists in giving 
the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and the mourning 
of all the tribes of the earth. There is here a reference 
to the prediction in Zechariah 7 which represents Israel 
as bitterly wailing because of their rejected Messiah. 
Herein Jesus shows that he himself is that rejected 
Shepherd. The Evangelist Matthew probably refers to 
some special sign of the second Advent in the clouds 
that would bring the nations to mourning over the great 
sin of the rejection of the Messiah. The original pas- 
sage has in view only the house of David and inhabit- 
ants of Jerusalem. It is possible that the " tribes of the 
earth " also refers to Israel alone, 8 but it is probable that 



1 iii. 15, 16. 2 ii . x, 10. 3 Isa. xiii. 6 seq. * Isa. xxiv. t8 seq. 

6 Isa. xxxiv. • Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, pp. 311, 312. 

7 xii. 10-14. * Russell, in /. c, p. 77. 



ft 



154 THE MESSIAH 

with the broader conception of the gospel the tribes are 
those of the earth who have become equally guilty with 
Israel in the rejection of their common Messiah. The 
context has to do with the nations, and not with Israel 
alone. 

Having considered the signs of the Advent and found 
them to be the usual theophanic signs, we are now pre- 
pared to look at the Advent itself. It is here given in 
the style of Daniel : " The Son of Man coming on the 
clouds of heaven with great power and glory." The 
three evangelists agree essentially in these words. Jesus 
here distinctly makes himself the " Son of Man " of 
Daniel, and proclaims that he will come in the same 
manner, enthroned upon the clouds. This advent is 
here conceived, as in Daniel, as an advent not for Israel 
alone, but also for the nations. The angels are sent 
forth to gather the elect from all parts of the earth 
(Mark and Matthew). The redemption of the elect is 
in the mind of Jesus here. He passes over the con- 
demnation of the nations, which is the prominent fea- 
ture in Daniel. 

Many scholars regard these signs and the advent in 
the clouds as purely symbolical, and of the nature of 
drapery or scenery to set forth more distinctly and 
graphically an advent which is essentially not visible 
and physical, but spiritual. Russell says : " The moral 
grandeur of the events which such symbols represent 
may be most fitly set forth by convulsions and cata- 
clysms in the natural world." * Warren says : " It was 
in terms thus hallowed by association with the founding 
of their own divine monarchy, and familiarized to the 
Jews as the technical phraseology denoting the accession 



1 In /. c, p. 81. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 155 

of kings to their thrones — the court language of inaugu- 
ration, so to speak, that Christ described his coming to 
men in his kingdom." ' Beyschlag recognizes that Jesus 
had in mind the renovation of heaven and earth, but 
he also insists that Jesus thought also of the spiritual 
renovation of humanity, 2 and that the cosmical features 
are the dress of the spiritual substance, and that both 
the spiritual and the cosmical find their fulfilment in 
their order, although they were not discriminated in the 
mind of Jesus. 

This combination of the cosmical and the spiritual in 
the representation of Beyschlag is tempting in some re- 
spects, but not satisfying. These cosmical disturbances 
belong not only to the theophanies and the Christopha- 
nies of prophecy, but also to the theophanies and Chris- 
tophanies of history in both the Old Testament and the 
New. They represent the response of the creature to 
the presence of the Creator. They cannot be symboli- 
cal in the prophecy without destroying their force in 
the history. These signs are theophanic signs, and they 
show that a Christophany or Advent of the Messiah is 
impending. 

We are now prepared to consider the question of time. 
Lukegivesusnothingonthissubject. Marksays: "Inthose 
days, after that tribulation." Matthew is more definite : 
" But immediately after the tribulation of those days." 
The statement is that immediately after that shortened 
time of tribulation the signs heralding the advent appear. 
What meaning are we to ascribe to eudico^ ? It is cer- 
tainly no stronger than the ^i"ip °f Old Testament proph- 
ecy used in connection with similar advents to judg- 
ment. It represents that to the mind of the prophet 



1 Parousia, p. 127. a Leben Jesu, ii. s. 312 seq. 



156 



THE MESSIAH 



Jesus, as to the prophets that preceded him, the Advent 
was near. It was near in the prophetic sense — that is, 
the event was certain, but the time uncertain. 

It is noteworthy that Mark and Matthew have now 
given us in their orderthe birth throes, the tribulation and 
the Parousia with its signs,which issudico^ to the tribulation. 
These are the three sections of the original Jewish-Chris- 
tian Apocalypse, according to Weiffenbach. It is also 
manifest that the period of the preaching of the gospel 
to the nations of the three Synoptists, and the times of 
the Gentiles, of Luke, are not in the same order of events 
as these. If they are to be brought into chronological 
relation with the other series, it would seem that while 
the preaching of the gospel may be to some extent par- 
allel with the tribulation, it cannot belimited by that short- 
ened time, but must extend beyond it and be parallel 
with the times of the Gentiles, which were certainly 
subsequent to the destruction of the holy city, and 
therefore intervene between the tribulation and the Pa- 
rousia, and must be covered by the expression euOico- of 
Matthew. To take the ebOicoz strictly, or in any other 
way than the apocalyptic sense of the Old Testament 
advent scenes, is to introduce a glaring inconsistency 
between the two representations. 1 



ft 



(7) The Relation of the Signs to the Advent. 
Mark xiii. 28-32. 1 Matt. xxiv. 32-36. Luke xxi. 28-33. 



Now from the fig 
tree learn her para- 
ble: when her 
branch is now be- 
come tender, and 
putteth forth i t s 
leaves, ye know that 



Now from the fig 
tree learn her para- 
ble: when her branch 
is now become ten- 
der, and putteth 
forth its leaves, ye 
know that the sum- 



But when these 
things begin to come 
to pass, look up, and 
lift up your heads ; 
because your re- 
demption draweth 
nigh. And he spake 



Briggs' Messianic Ptof/iecy, pp. 52 s*q. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 



157 



the summer is nigh ; 
even so ye also, when 
ye see these things 
coming to pass, know 
ye that he is nigh, 
even at the doors. 
[Verily I say unto 
you, This generation 
shall not pass away, 
until all these things 
b e accomplished. 
Heaven and earth 
shall pass away: but 
my words shall not 
pass away.] 1 But of 
that day or that hour 
knoweth no one, not 
even the angels in 
heaven, neither the 
Son, but the Father. 



mer is nigh ; even 
so ye also, when ye 
see all these things, 
know ye that he is 
nigh, even at the 
doors. [Verily I say 
unto you, This gen- 
eration shall not pass 
away, till all these 
things be accom- 
plished. Heaven and 
earth shall pass 
away, but my words 
shall not pass away.] 
But of that day and 
hour knoweth no 
one, not even the 
angels of heaven, 
neither the Son, but 
the Father only. 



to them a para- 
ble : Behold the fig 
tree, and all the 
trees : when they 
now shoot forth, ye 
see it and know of 
your own selves that 
the summer is now 
nigh. Even so ye 
also, when ye see 
these things coming 
to pass, know ye that 
the kingdom of God 
is nigh. [Verily I 
say unto you, This 
generation shall not 
pass away, till all 
things be accom- 
plished. Heaven 
and earth shall pass 
away : but my words 
shall not pass away.] 



Having given the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the temple, and then of the Advent, in their order, 
Jesus now answers the question in the form of showing 
the inter-relation of the two questions as to the time and 
the signs, or of the relation of the signs to the End in 
the matter of time. He uses the symbol of the fig tree 
(Matthew, Mark) and trees in general (Luke). The put- 
ting forth of leaves shows that summer is nigh. As the 
leaves of the tree are to the summer, so are the signs to 
the Advent of the Messiah. 

1. " When ye see these things coming to pass, know 
ye that he is nigh, even at the doors" (Mark). 

2. " When ye see all these things, know ye that he is 
nigh, even at the doors " (Matthew). 

3. " But when these things begin to come to pass, 
look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption 



1 The parts of this section enclosed in brackets are regarded by Weiffenbach 
as the close of the original Jewish-Christian Apocalypse. 



158 THE MESSIAH 

draweth nigh Even so, ye also, when ye see 

these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom 
of God is nigh " (Luke). 

Luke is much fuller and more definite here than Mark 
or Matthew. There are two questions : (i) the reference 
of " these things " of Mark and Luke, and " all these 
things " of Matthew. The context and the parable 
make it clear that they are the signs of the Advent, which 
are like the putting forth of leaves by the trees. " When 
these things begin to come to pass " (Luke) — that is, in 
their order from the beginning ; or " when ye see these 
things coming to pass " (Mark) — that is, during their 
progress ; or " when ye see all these things," when they 
have transpired (Matthew) — that is, all these signs from 
beginning to end ; then it may be known that the great 
event is " nigh " (Mark, Matthew, Luke), u at the doors " 
(Mark, Matthew). (2) This great event is left indef- 
inite in the statement of Matthew and Mark, so that 
interpreters differ whether it is the Messiah himself, or the 
Parousia, or " the completion of the age," depending upon 
the question whether we are to look to the Son of Man 
of the immediate context, which is most natural, or go 
back to the original question in Matthew. Luke states 
definitely what it is. He gives two clauses of explana- 
tion, which enclose the symbol of the trees. The former 
represents that redemption draweth nigh, the latter 
that it is the kingdom of God that is nigh. These are 
parallel expressions, and must refer to the same event. 
The redemption of the disciples is that which they are 
to expect at the end of their labors in preaching the 
gospel. They are exhorted, having this end in view : 
" In your patience ye shall win your souls " ; ' " But he 



1 Luke xxi. 19. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 159 

that endureth to the End, the same shall be saved." J It 
is the salvation at the completion of the age, and not the 
salvation of believers by faith ; for it could not be said 
of that " it dravveth nigh," inasmuch as "t was already in 
their possession. Accordingly the kingcom of God is 
not the kingdom that cometh without observation, 
and that was already among them, 2 or tin kingdom 
in any of its stages of growth ; but it was the king- 
dom of glory, the fruition of the kingdom at the 
completion of the age. The expressions given in Luke, 
redemption and kingdom of God, are really equivalent to 
Matthew's Parousia and completion of the age, and the 
Son of Man coming in the clouds, which is essen- 
tially common to the three evangelists. Accordingly 
the statement is, that all these closing events are near 
and at the doors when the signs appear. 

The next sentence, which is common to the three 
evangelists, is of great difficulty in its context — "This 
generation shall not pass away until all (these) things be 
accomplished." The question again arises as to the 
reference of " all these things." Shall we give to them the 
same reference as to the same expression in the previous 
verse — namely, to the signs ; or shall we refer them to 
the Parousia as well as the signs? It is not easy to 
decide from the context. It seems to me that the former 
interpretation is the most natural one, and that " all 
these things " should have the same reference in both 
verses, if they are regarded as parts of the same section. 
This is strengthened by the fact that the terms " that 
day, or that hour " of Mark and Matthew clearly refer 
to the day of the Advent and the closing events of the 
previous context ; and it would seem that we have a 



Matt. xxiv. 13. a Luke xvii. 20, ax. 



IfjO TB.E MESSIAH 

parallel statement to that of the previous verses, so that 
the two things, the signs and the Advent, are distin- 
guished here as there. We have thus an advance in the 
three parallel fcatements. (i) It is said with reference 
to the signs: \ri) The tree " putteth forth its leaves"; 
(b) " When ve see these things coming to oass "; (c) " This 
generatio* shall not pass away until all these things be 
accomplished." (2) And with reference to the Advent : 
(a) " Summer is nigh"; (b) " he (your redemption, the 
kingdom of God) is nigh (at the doors) " ; (c) " but of 
that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the 
angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." 

The signs would all transpire in that generation ; but 
the event itself, although near and at the doors of that 
generation, could not be determined as to the day or 
the hour, even by the Messiah himself. With regard to 
that, he could only say what all prophets before him had 
said, It is near, evdicoz, Slip* 

The most natural interpretation of ysvsd is genera- 
tion, the duration of human life, the lifetime of those 
then living, which would not extend beyond the first 
Christian century. Dr. Edward Robinson l urges that 
it is here used for one hundred years, and thinks 
that the time should then be extended to the war of 
Hadrian. He bases his interpretation on his exegesis 
of Gen. xv. 13. Accordingly, he sees the Advent of Jesus 
in his kingdom in the establishment of Christianity on 
the ruins of Judaism. 2 

Dorner, in an early writing on this discourse of Jesus, 



1 Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, *»•« PP- 54° se< l- 

2 "Jesus first points out what was to happen after his departure, the trials and 
dangers to which his followers would be exposed. Then comes the ' abomina- 
tion of desolation'; Jerusalem is 'compassed by armies,' and is 'trodden down 
of the Gentiles'; all this referring to its desolation by Titus in ad. 70. Imme- 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 161 

reminds us that Jesus used an Aramaic word, 1 and thinks 
of a lengthened period or age. 2 But we have no suf- 
ficient reason for departing from the ordinary meaning 
of the Greek terms. 

The closing statement of this section is very import- 
ant. It limits the knowledge of the time of the Advent 
to God the Father. It expressly excludes the knowl- 
edge of it from the Messiah. He could not give his dis- 
ciples the knowledge of the day or the hour; he did not 
know it himself. This reaccs upon the interpretation of 
the previous context. He who knew not the day or the 
hour could hardly say that it would be in his own gen- 
eration, for that would be a knowledge of the day and 
hour within quite narrow limits. 3 It would amount to 
saying, It will be in this generation, before all of you 
have passed away ; but I cannot give you the precise day 
or hour. It seems to me that such an interpretation 
greatly weakens the words of Jesus. He certainly did 
not mean to say: I know not the day or hour, but I do 
know the time in other respects. I can give you the 
week, month, year, and I choose to give you the genera- 
tion or the time within thirty or forty years. On the 
other hand, the statement is very strong. It amounts 
to this: He did not know the day or hour at all. He 
makes no restrictions to himself. He could not say, 
therefore, that it would be in one of the days and hours 
of the lifetime of some of his hearers. There seems to 
be such an inconsistency here, if we think that Jesus 



diately afterward the Lord would come and establish more fully his spiritual 
kingdom, by crushing in terrible destruction the last remnants of the power and 
name of Judaism, and this within the general limits of a generation of a hundred 
years from the time when he was speaking." {Bid. Sac, 1843, p. 532.) 

>-in 

2 Orat. Chr. Esc/tat., p. 81. 

8 Beyschlag, Leben Jesu, i , s. 353. 



162 



THE MESSIAH 



represented that he knew not the day and hour, and yet 
said that it would be within thirty or forty years, that 
Weiffenbach, 1 and those who hold to the same theory, 
feel justified in ascribing the former statement of Mark 
to Jesus, and the latter to the Jewish-Christian apoca- 
lypse, these two pieces having different events in view. 
There can be no doubt that the former statement accords 
with the representation of Mark and Matthew, that after 
the beginning of birth throes and the tribulation, the 
Parousia was evdecoz, and if we had only these passages 
to deal with, it would remove all difficulty ; forthe things 
happening in that generation would be the beginning of 
birth throcj and the tribulation, and the Parousia 
would then be at the doors in the apocalyptic sense 
here as in the evOicoz there. On the other hand, 
it seems impossible to limit the gospel age and the 
timesof theGentilesto that generation. And the parable, 
and the closing words as to the ignorance of the time 
on the part of the Messiah, seem to accord quite well 
with this larger conception. Accordingly, we cannot 
yield to Russell, 8 who presses the theory that the second 
Advent must have occurred in connection with the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, or else Jesus made a false pre- 
diction. We are compelled by the context to make cer- 
tain discriminations. There cannot be glaring incon- 
sistencies in such close juxtaposition as we have here. 
The authors of the gospels would have seen them, and 
would not have left them unguarded. The indefinite 
terms need qualification from the larger context and the 
general teaching of Jesus. We must first distinguish 
between the events and their signs, and then consider 
that, in the combination of the signs and the time, Jesus 



In /. c. t s. 152. 



a In /. c. t pp. 544 seq. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 



1G3 



is summing up and giving his final answer to the ques- 
tion of his disciples. The events have been discriminated 
as two : (i) the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple 
with its signs, and (2) the Paronsia with its signs. The 
parable suits both events in their relation to the signs. 
As the leaves of the tree indicate the approach of sum- 
mer, these signs herald, each series of them, the nearness 
of the great event which they precede. The last half of 
the section now returns to the answer as to the time. 
There was, first, the negative answer that it was not im- 
mediateafterthebeginning of birth throes, and that it was 
immediate after the tribulation. Now, it is just these two 
things that are connected with the signs, and it is likely 
that these things were in the mind of Jesus in these words; 
whereas the time of the preaching of the gospel and the 
times of the Gentiles that follow the tribulation were in 
the mind of Jesus as the basis of his statement as to the 
Parousia itself, that " of that day or that hour knoweth 
no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, 
but the Father." 



(8) Exhortation to Watch. 
Mark xiii. 33-37- Matt. xxiv. 42. Luke xxi. 34-36. 



Take ye heed, 
watch and pray : for 
ye know not when 
the time is. It is as 
when a man, sojourn- 
ing in another coun- 
try, having left his 
house, and given au- 
thority to his ser- 
vants, to each one 
his work, command- 
ed also the porter to 
watch. Watch there- 
fore : for ye know 
not when the lord of 



Watch therefore : 
for ye know not on 
what day your Lord 
cometh. 



But take heed to 
yourselves, lest haply 
your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeit- 
ing, and drunken- 
ness, and cares of 
this life, and that day 
come on you sud- 
denly as a snare : for 
so shall it come upon 
all them that dwell 
on the face of all the 
earth. But watch ye 
at every season, 
making supplica- 



164 THE MESSIAH 

the house cometh, whether at tion, that ye may prevail to 
even, or at midnight, or at escape all these things that shall 
cockcrowing, or in the morn- ; come to pass, and to stand be- 
ing ; lest coming suddenly he fore the Son of Man. 
find you sleeping. And what 
I say unto you I say unto all, 
Watch. 1 

Matthew gives us a brief closing statement based upon 
the previous verse — " Ye know not on what day your 
Lord cometh." He knows not, he cannot tell you, you 
cannot know ; therefore watch. He then adds several 
parables 2 which are given by Luke 3 more fully in an- 
other connection. Matthew then gives a chapter of para- 
bles and a concluding discourse. They seem not to 
have been a part of the apocalypse of Jesus, but to in- 
troduce other, though kindred matters. 

Luke gives us a general exhortation to watchfulness, 
with a warning that the " day " will come suddenly as a 
snare. They are, therefore, to watch " at every season," 
and not only to watch, but to pray that they may escape 
the signs, " all these things that shall come to pass," and 
come to the Advent, and u stand before the Son of Man." 
This is appropriate to the discourse, but seems to have 
been an independent discourse originally given under 
other circumstances. 

Mark gives a closing exhortation which has essen- 
tially the material of Luke and Matthew. The exhor- 
tation : " Take ye heed, watch and pray : for ye know 
not when the time is," includes the watching of Mat- 



1 Matthew now inserts vers. 38-41, which are given by Luke (xvii. 26-37) more 
fully in another connection where they belong. They are appropriate here for 
giving a fuller statement of the words of Jesus on this theme, but they do not 
belong to the apocalypse itself. Weiss thinks that the closing parable of Mark 
is a brief form of the parable of the talents in Matt, xxv., mixed with the parable 
of Luke xii. 36-38 ; but Weiffenbach correctly thinks that it was the orig- 
inal close of the apocalypse of Jesus. 

2 xxiv. 43-51. s xii. 39-48. 



OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JESUS 165 

thew and the watching and praying of Luke. The little 
parable of Mark ' enforces it. We there have a warning : 
" Watch therefore : for ye know not when the lord of 
the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or 
at cockcrowing, or in the morning." Here the night is 
divided into four watches, from the earliest at even to 
the break of day. The time of the Advent is so un- 
certain that it may take place at any hour of the 
night ; it may be early or it may be late. The night 
prior to the Advent may be a very short one, a 
moderate one, a long one, or the Advent may be 
postponed till the very last moment. These are forci- 
ble words, and exceedingly appropriate to the statement 
that no one knows the advent day but God the Father. 
They certainly do not mean to imply that Jesus knew 
the night, but not the watch of the night ; they cor- 
respond with the previous statement that he knew not 
the day or the hour, and they imply that the time was 
as uncertain in the length of the interval to the Advent 
as the uncertainty whether a master will come in the 
first hours of the night, or at any time during its inter- 
val, or not till its closing moments. This reacts upon 
all the previous statements as to time, and shows that 
the Evdscoz must be flexible enough to comprehend all this 
enormous uncertainty. And if our Lord has delayed his 
Advent until the closing hours of a long night of history, 
and has not come in its early hours, as his disciples hoped, 
this is not against the warning of the Lord that they 
should watch or that his Advent is eudiws ; for he warned 
them of the uncertainty, and we are to do as all who 
have gone before us — remain in the like uncertainty and 
WATCH. 

> xiii. 34-36. 



I 



CHAPTER V. 

THE MESSIAH OF MATTHEW. 

We have considered in the previous chapters the Mes- 
siah of the Gospel of Matthew so far as the report is in 
accord with Mark. We have now to consider the Mes- 
sianic idea of the Gospel of Matthew so far as it depends 
upon other sources than Mark. The chief of these 
sources is the Aramaic Logia of Matthew. Luke gives 
us a large proportion of this material. These two evan- 
gelists differ, in that Matthew prefers topical arrange- 
ment, whereas Luke prefers a geographical and chrono- 
logical order. It is best therefore to follow Luke's 
order, while we use Matthew's words as the basis of our 
study. 

JESUS SUPERIOR TO TEMPTATION. 

§ 3 1. Jesus was tempted by the devil to assume his Mes- 
sianic authority and dominion at once ; but he declines to 
do anything more than to serve God as a pious man. 

The synoptists report that the official anointing of the 
Messiah was followed by a conflict with the devil. This 
conflict Jesus undertakes under the influence of the 
divine Spirit, who abode with him. The temptation in 
the wilderness is conceived as the counterpart of the 
temptation of our first parents in the garden of Eden. 
This is true not by mere coincidence or from a literary 

(166) 



OF MATTHEW 



167 



point of view, but by design, by necessity and in fact. 
If the Messiah was to accomplish the Messianic predic- 
tions of the Old Testament he could not neglect the fun- 
damental one of the protevangelium. 1 As the son and 
heir of Adam, the woman's seed, he must conquer the 
serpent and overcome all the forces of evil. The three 
synoptists unite in making this the first act of the Mes- 
siah after his baptism. But Mark merely mentions it as 
an event without bringing out its Messianic significance. 
Accordingly we have reserved it for treatment here in 
connection with the Messianic idea of Matthew. 



Matt. iv. i-ii. 

Then was Jesus led 
up of the Spirit into 
the wilderness to be 
tempted of the devil. 
And when he had 
fasted forty days and 
forty nights, he after- 
ward hungered. And 
the tempter came 
and said unto him, 
If thou art the Son 
of God, command 
that these stones be- 
come bread. But he 
answered and said, 
It is written, Man 
shall not live by 
bread alone, but by 
every word that pro- 
ceedeth out of the 
mouth of God. Then 
the devil taketh him 
into the holy city; 
and he set him on 
the pinnacle of the 
temple, and saith 
unto him, If thou art 
the Son of God, cast 
thy self down : for it 



Mark i. 12, 13. 

And straightway 
the Spirit driveth 
him forth into the 
wilderness. And he 
was in the wilder- 
ness forty days 
tempted of Satan ; 
and he was with the 
wild beasts ; and the 
angels ministered 
unto him. 



Luke iv. 1-13. 

And Jesus, full of 
the Holy Spirit, re- 
turned from the Jor- 
dan, and was led in 
the Spirit in the wil- 
derness during forty 
days, being tempted 
of the devil. And he 
did eat nothing in 
those days: and 
when they were com- 
pleted, he hungered. 
And the devil said 
unto him, If thou art 
the Son of God, com- 
mand this stone that 
it become bread. 
And Jesus answered 
unto him, It is writ- 
ten, Man shall not 
live by bread alone. 
And he led him up, 
and shewed him all 
the kingdoms of the 
world in a moment 
of time. And the 
devil said unto him, 
To thee will I give 
all this authority, 



See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 71. 



168 



THE MESSIAH 



is written, He shall give his 
angels charge concerning thee : 
and on their hands they shall 
bear thee up, lest haply thou 
dash thy foot against a stone. 
Jesus said unto him, Again it is 
written, Thou shalt not tempt 
the Lord thy God. Again, the 
devil taketh him unto an ex- 
ceeding high mountain, and 
showeth him all the kingdoms 
of the world, and the glory of 
them ; and he said unto him, 
All these things will I give thee, 
if thou wilt fall down and wor- 
ship me. Then saith Jesus unto 
him, Get thee hence, Satan : for 
it is written, Thou shalt wor- 
ship the Lord thy God, and him 
only shalt thou serve. Then 
the devil leaveth him ; and be- 
hold, angels came and minister- 
ed unto him. 



and the glory of them : for it 
hath been delivered unto me ; 
and to whomsoever I will I 
give it. If thou therefore wilt 
worship before me, it shall all 
be thine. And Jesus answered 
and said unto him, It is writ- 
ten, Thou shalt worship the 
Lord thy God, and him only 
shalt thou serve. And he led 
him to Jerusalem, and set him 
on the pinnacle of the temple, 
and said unto him, If thou art 
the Son of God, cast thyself 
down from hence : for it is writ- 
ten, He shall give his an- 
gels charge concerning thee, to 
guard thee : and, On their hands 
they shall bear thee up, lest 
haply thou dash thy foot against 
a stone. And Jesus answering 
said unto him, It is said, Thou 
shalt not tempt the Lord thy 
God. And when the devil had 
completed every temptation, he 
departed from him for a sea- 
son. 



I| 



This temptation is not only the counterpart of the 
temptation of our first parents in the garden of Eden ; but 
it presents many contrasts with the temptation of Israel 
in the wilderness. The temptations of the devil all aim 
to induce Jesus to claim his Messianic dominion and ex- 
ercise his Messianic authority at once. The devil assumes 
that Jesus is the Messiah and argues from it. Jesus 
seems, on this occasion, to ignore his Messiahship alto- 
gether. He declines to act as the prophet of Deuteron- 
omy, 1 or the Son of Man of Daniel," or as the Messianic 
king of Isaiah. 3 He acts as the pious man of the Law 
and the Psalter. He thus asserts, not indeed in words, 
but still more forcibly in deeds, a more fundamental 



Deut. xviii. 18-20. 



Dan. vii. 13, 14. 



3 Isa. xi. 



OF MATTHEW 169 

Messiahship than any recognized by the devil, namely, 
that he was the second Adam, the ideal man, the seed 
of the woman, the conqueror of the serpent. 

Why should he fast in the wilderness, is the sugges- 
tion of the devil, when he had authority to transform 
stones into bread. Even if he would be the Messianic 
prophet rather than the Messianic king, Moses gave the 
people of Israel, in the wilderness, manna from heaven, 
why should not the Messianic prophet, in the wilderness, 
provide himself with nourishment. Jesus declines the 
temptation. He thinks of the teaching of Moses rather 
than of his example. The Messiah's time for miracle- 
working has not come. He declines the nourishment of 
miraculous bread and prefers the spiritual nourishment 
afforded to every man by the word of God. He came 
into the wilderness, not to work miracles, but to prepare 
for his work on earth. He came there not to feast, but 
to fast ; not to nourish his body, but to invigorate his 
spirit by communion with God. 

If Jesus will not exercise his Messianic authority in 
miracle-working, suggests the devil, why not show his 
confidence in God by assuming that God will fulfil His 
promises; and so cast himself upon Him for support? 
As the Son of Man well-pleasing to God, he was assured 
of the support of angels. An ancient psalmist had sung 
that the pious man who is in communion with God will 
be delivered from all evil : 

For he will give his angels charge over thee, 
To keep thee in all thy ways; 
Upon their palms they will bear thee up, 
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.' 

Why not put this promise to the test, descend from 



Ps. xci. Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 460. 



170 THE MESSIAH 

the pinnacle of the temple as if from the clouds of 
heaven, and so display his glory as the Son of Man, and 
receive the homage of the people as the Son of Man 
from heaven. Thus he would throw upon God the re- 
sponsibility of his Messianic manifestation. Jesus, know- 
ing that the Pharisees and the people expected just such 
a Son of Man from heaven in accordance with the predic- 
tion of Daniel, 1 declines to transfer his own Messianic 
responsibility, given him by God, back again to God. 
He refuses to tempt God. He has entire confidence in 
God. He is assured that he is the Messianic Son of 
Man, why then should he put it to the test ? The time 
has not yet come for him to come on the clouds. He 
has other work to do prior to that time. 3 

If now Jesus declines to use his Messianic authority 
as the Messianic Prophet and the Messianic Son of Man, 
why not as the Messianic King receive the kingdom of 
the world from the prince of the world ? This is the 
third and last temptation. The devil will renounce his 
dominion, give it all over to the Messiah, if he will do 
obeisance to him. Why battle for a throne when it may 
be received as a gift ? This generous offer of the devil 
was at once declined. Jesus will be a pious man, and in 
accordance with the divine law will worship and serve 
God alone. He came to be well-pleasing to God in his 
life and character as a holy man. He has not come at 
present to reign, but to serve. He will live as a man 
well-pleasing to God and undergo all the hardships of 
human life. This decision meant conflict with the devil 
throughout his life. The devil offered him dominion 
and peace at the price of recognition. Jesus chose 



1 Dan. vii. See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy, p. 420. 

2 Luke inverts the order of the second and third temptations. The order 
matters little, but Matthew's seems to be preferable. 



OF MATTHEW 171 

battle and suffering, and undertook the Messianic 
war. 

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM. 

§ 32. The heirs of the kingdom are the poor in spirit, 
the persecuted, those whose righteousness exceeds that of 
the Pharisees, those who do the least commands, and the 
godlike. 

Early in his ministry Jesus delivered a discourse, which 
is usually called the Sermon on the Mount, in which he 
set forth some of the features of the kingdom. The 
main stock of the discourse is found in Luke. Matthew, 
in accordance with his custom, gathers about it say- 
ings of Jesus which are scattered in other passages in 
Luke. 

This discourse begins with the Beatitudes. Luke 
seems to give the original form in which Jesus delivered 
them. Matthew adds other Beatitudes, and puts them 
all in the third person, with explanatory and generaliz- 
ing additions. 1 We shall follow Luke in our efforts to 
find the original words of Jesus. 

The Four Beatitudes. 

Blessed are ye poor ; 2 for yours 3 is the kingdom of God. 4 
Blessed are ye that hunger 5 ; s for ye 3 shall be filled. 
Blessed are ye that weep ; 5 for ye 3 shall laugh. 



1 See Wendt, Lehre jfesu, i. 535 seq. 
Matthew adds rcJ 7rvtv/xaTc. This is explanatory, and doubtless a true ex- 
planation. It is not probable that it was original. 

3 Matthew changes to the third person the original direct address in order to 
generalize and make all the Beatitudes harmonious in form. 

4 Matthew, as usual, changes kingdom of God into kingdom of heaven. 

6 Luke inserts "now" in several places. It is not given by Matthew. It 
merely intensifies the simple antithesis of the original. See Wendt, Lehre 
Jesu,[., s.56. 

•Matthew adds "and thirst after righteousness." This is explanatory and 
not original. It destroys the measure of the line. 



172 THE MESSIAH 

Blessed are ye l when men shall hate you, 

And when they shall separate you from their company, 2 and re- 
proach you, 
And cast out your name as evil. 3 
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy : 4 
For behold, your reward is great in heaven : 
For in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 5 

(Luke vi. 20-23.) 

The Four Woes. 

Woe unto you rich ! for ye have received your consolation. 6 
Woe unto you that are full ! 7 for ye shall hunger. 
Woe, ye that laugh ! 7 for ye shall mourn and weep. 
Woe, when all men shall speak well of you, 
For in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets. 

(Luke vi. 24-26.) 

Matthew adds five other Beatitudes. These were 
either from other discourses in the Logia or from other 
sources than the Logia. Their gnomic form favors 
their original place in the Logia : 

Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the land. 8 
Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 9 
Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. 9 



% 



1 Here Matthew retains the original second person and agrees with Luke. 

2 Matthew omits " hate you " of previous line, and " separate you from their 
company " of this line. 

3 Matthew substitutes" say all manner of evil against you," and prefixes "per- 
secute you." It also adds an explanatory "falsely, for my sake." Luke also 
explains here " for the Son of Man's sake." 

4 Matthew substitutes "be exceeding glad," which is less graphic. 

6 The two are, apart from slight variations, the same in these two lines, save 
that Matthew substitutes the more specific " persecuted " for the "did unto" of 
Luke. 

6 These antithetical woes are not given in Matthew. They seem to be original 
from the natural antithesis of the four Woes to the four Beatitudes. 

7 See note ( 5 ) on page 171. 

8 Ps. xxxvii. n. It is probable that there is here, as in the psalm, a reference 
to the land of blessing, the holy land, rather than to the earth, 

9 Comp. Ps. xxiv. 4 ; lxxiii. 1. 



OF MATTHEW 173 

Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called sons of God. 
Blessed are the persecuted : for theirs is the kingdom of God.' 

(Matt. v. 5, 7-10.) 

In this discourse Jesus is giving the character of those 
who will be members of the kingdom and enjoy its re- 
wards. The rewards are suited to the characters. Both 
alike are spiritual and not carnal or temporal. Luke 
gives us the frame which Matthew fills up with material 
from other sources, and with qualifying words. The 
poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated disciples 
of Jesus, those who like their Master are in this condi- 
tion because they have followed in the footsteps of the 
ancient prophets, will eventually rejoice when they re- 
ceive their reward in the kingdom of God. It is reserved 
in heaven for them. They are not to expect it apart 
from the kingdom of God or from other than a heavenly 
source. Matthevvadds to these four beatitudes other five 
which give qualifications of a more positive kind. The 
meek, the merciful, thepure in heart, the peacemakers and 
the persecuted imply qualifications, which, with the prom- 
ises that accompany them, look more decidedly toward 
a kingdom, future to the disciples, to be entered after 
the attainment of meritorious character and a judgment 
of approval. The persecuted have a right to the king- 
dom. It is theirs because they suffer for it as a part of 
the kingdom of grace, and they will eventually enter into 
the kingdom of glory. 

The peacemakers will be recognized as children of 
God in their work on earth, but more effectually by the 
Messiah at the gate of the kingdom of glory. The pure 
in heart will see God in the beatific vision of the reason, 



1 Matthew explains as usual " for righteousness' sake," and uses " kingdom of 
heaven " for the original " kingdom of God." 



I 



1Y4 THE MESSIAH 

in this life, but face to face only in the kingdom of glory. 
The merciful will obtain mercy in the beginnings of their 
redemption in the kingdom of grace, but finally in the 
judgment when the doors of the kingdom of glory are 
opened. The meek cannot inherit the land, the land 
of promise, the holy land, the fruition of the land of 
Canaan, until the inheritance is bestowed in the king- 
dom of glory. Thus these beatitudes, in part may be 
referred to the kingdom of grace and its privileges ; but 
they cannot be fully realized until the advent of the 
kingdom of glory. 

These nine beatitudes are the beatitudes of the king- 
dom, and set forth the character of its citizens. It is 
evident therefore that Jesus had in view a very different 
kind of kingdom from that of temporal dominion and 
civil administration. And he had no thought of realiz- 
ing such a kingdom in a very short time. 

Besides the five additional beatitudes, Matthew gives, 
in a long discourse, other features of these citizens of the 
kingdom. 

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command- 
ments, 

And shall teach men so, 

He shall be called least in the kingdom of God : l 

But whosoever shall do and teach them, 

He shall be called great in the kingdom of God. 1 

For I say unto you, 

That except your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes 
and Pharisees, 

Ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. 1 

(Matth. v. 19, 20.) 

The kingdom of God as here conceived is a king- 



1 As usual, Matthew substitutes "kingdom of heaven" for an original "king- 
dom of God." 



OF MATTHEW lf5 

dom that is inherited by those who have a righteousness 
that exceeds that of the legal requirements of the Phari- 
see. Jesus explains this righteousness in expounding 
three of the ten commandments. He shows that Phari- 
saic obedience to the external requirements in conduct 
must be exceeded by conformity in speech and also in 
heart ; that something more than justice is required ; 
even the heathen are equal to that. The law of the 
kingdom requires self-sacrifice, love, mercy, and indeed, 
likeness to God. Such a righteousness cannot be gained 
in a moment. Greater devotion to the will of God and 
personal service are necessary. Jesus has not come to 
destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them in a 
righteousness which is the higher, holier, and more god- 
like life of himself and his disciples. The preparation 
for the kingdom required by the Pharisees was exact 
conformity to legal righteousness. This is insufficient. 
The disciples of Jesus must be conformed to the personal 
righteousness of God. They must be godlike in order 
to be thought worthy of entrance into the kingdom 
of God. Those who do not exceed the Pharisees in 
righteousness will gain no entrance into it. 

The righteousness which is to inherit the kingdom is 
not to be like that of the Pharisees, ostentatious in the 
presence of men, but likeness to God, and therefore before 
the eyes of God, having God only in view. Prayer, 
fasting, almsgiving, and all the exercises of practical re- 
ligion are to be done in the eyes of God. Such right- 
eousness will be rewarded in the kingdom of God. 1 The 
true disciple obeys the words of the Master, and in this 
way erects his building on the sure foundation of a rock 
that will abide the storms of judgment.' J 



Matt. vi. 1-18. 2 Matt. vii. 24-27. 



176 



THE MESSIAH 



In this discourse Jesus had in view a kingdom into 
which there is no entrance except after an act of judg- 
ment, and into which only the truly righteous and god- 
like can enter. This kingdom therefore is not the king- 
dom of grace which extends until the day of judgment, 
but the kingdom of glory which follows the day of judg- 
ment. 



THE MESSIAH'S CREDENTIALS. 
§ 33. His miracles of mercy and Jns preaching to the 
poor were evidences that Jesus was the Messianic servant 
of God. 

Jesus began his official life as the Messiah by miracles. 
His miracles accompanied his preaching and had the 
same character. They were both with wonderful au- 
thority, but they lacked the marvellous display of divine 
power which is so characteristic of the miracles of the 
Old Testament. They were not therefore such striking 
evidences of the Messiahship of Jesus as were expected. 
It would seem that even John the Baptist was somewhat 
disappointed. He did not falter in his faith in Jesus as 
a prophet of God, but he seems to have been in doubt 
whether Jesus was the expected Messiah or another 
herald of the Messiah like himself. Accordingly he 
sends to Jesus for information on this point. The reply 
of Jesus and his discourse on the occasion give us the 
best interpretation of the evidential character of his 
preaching and miracle-working. 



Matt. xi. 2-14. 

Now when John heard in the 
prison the works of the Messiah, 
he sent by his disciples, and said 
unto him, Art thou he that 
cometh, or look we for another ? 
And Jesus answered and said 



Luke vii. 18-28. 

And the disciples of John told 
him of all these things. And 
John calling unto him two of 
his disciples sent them to the 
Lord, saying, Art thou he that 
cometh, or look we for another ? 



OF MATTHEW 



177 



unto them, Go your way and 
tell John the things which ye do 
hear and see : the blind receive 
their sight, and the lame walk, 
the lepers are cleansed, and the 
deaf hear, and the dead are 
raised up, and the poor have 
good tidings preached to them. 
And blessed is he whosoever 
shall find none occasion of 
stumbling in me. And as these 
went their way, Jesus began to 
say unto the multitudes con- 
cerning John, What went ye out 
into the wilderness to behold ? 
a reed shaken with the wind ? 
But what went ye out for to see? } 
a man clothed in soft raiment ? \ 
Behold, they that wear soft rat- j 
ment are in kings' houses. But 
wherefore went ye out ? to see a 
prophet ? Yea, I say unto you, 
and much more than a prophet. 
This is he, of whom it is writ- 
ten, Behold, I send my mes- ■ 
senger before thy f ace, w r ho shall 
prepare thy way before thee. 
Verily I say unto you, Among 
them that are born of women, ; 
there hath not arisen a greater 
than John the Baptist : yet he 
that is but little in the king- 
dom of heaven is greater than 
he. And from the days of John 
the Baptist until now the king- 
dom of heaven suffereth vio- 
lence, and men of violence take 
it by force. For all the proph- 
ets and the law prophesied un- ! 
til John. And if ye are willing j 
to receive it this is Elijah, 
which is to come. 



And when the men were come 
unto him, they said, John the 
Baptist hath sent us unto thee, 
saying, Art thou he that com- 
eth, or look we for another ? In 
that hour he cured many of dis- 
eases and plagues and evil spir- 
its; and on many that were blind 
he bestowed sight. And he an- 
swered and said unto them, Go 
your way, and tell John what 
things ye have seen and heard ; 
the blind receive their sight, 
the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the 
dead are raised up, the poor have 
good tidings preached to them. 
And blessed is he, whosoever 
shall find none occasion of 
stumbling in me. And when 
the messengers of John were 
departed, he began to say unto 
the multitudes concerning John, 
What went ye out into the wil- 
derness to behold ? a reed shak- 
en with the wind? But what 
went ye out to see? a man 
clothed in soft raiment? Be- 
hold, they which are gorgeously 
apparelled, and live delicately, 
are in kings' courts. But what 
went ye out to see ? a prophet ? 
Yea, I say unto you, and much 
more than a prophet. This is 
he of whom it is written, Be- 
hold, I send my messenger be- 
fore thy face, who shall prepare 
thy way before thee. I say unto 
you, Among them that are born 
of women there is none greater 
than John : yet he that is but 
little in the kingdom of God is 
I greater than he. 

The evidences of his Messiahship given by Jesus to 
the messengers of the Baptist are not marvels of miracle- 
working, displaying power; but miracles of mercy — the 
healing of the sick, the lame, the blind, the lepers, the 



178 TflE MESSIAH 

deaf, and the raising of the dead. A few such miracles 
of mercy are found in the Old Testament, but they are 
occasional and not characteristic of the Old Testament. 
Miracles of mercy are characteristic of the preaching of 
Jesus, and it is this characteristic that is the evidence of 
his Messiahship. For Jesus equally with Moses recog- 
nized that false prophets might work miracles, and warns 
his disciples not to be deceived. Miracles of power may 
excite the wonder and the credence of marvel-loving 
men. But miracles of mercy are the true credentials of 
the Messiah, for they express the redemptive love of his 
nature. Associated with the miracles of mercy is preach- 
ing to the poor. Preaching is a work of prophets as a 
class. But preaching to the poor is a special work of 
the Messiah. In this passage Jesus doubtless has in 
mind and refers John to the gentle preacher of the great 
prophecy of the exile. 1 

The inquiry of John affords Jesus an opportunity to 
give his testimony respecting John. Jesus declares that 
the Baptist was the herald predicted in the prophecies 
of Malachi and of the great prophet of the exile. 3 John 
was the greatest who had appeared in the old dispensa- 
tion, a second Elijah, the herald of the Messiah. But 
the least in the kingdom of the Messiah will be greater 
than John, because he is in the kingdom of the Messiah, 
which is the culmination of the kingdom of God of the 
Old Covenant. John is the last of the entire dispensa- 
tion of the prophets, but they all prepared for the Ad- 
vent of the Messiah. The kingdom of God suffered 
violence during the time beginning with the Baptist. 
Bold, zealous men think that they can bring the king- 
dom by violence, by rebellion and deeds of arms. It is 



1 Isaiah xlii., lxi. See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy^ pp. 343, 369. 

8 Isaiah xl. i-ii ; Mai. iii. See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy^ pp. 375, 473. 



OF MATTHEW 



179 



at hand, but it cannot be established in this way. The 
Messianic prophet is laying its foundations in peace, in 
quietness, in righteousness by his prophetic ministry, 
and by transformations of the life and character of men. 
These words to the messengers of the Baptist show 
that Jesus regarded himself as the Messianic servant of 
the great prophet of the exile. 

THE KINGDOM WHICH HAD COME UPON THEM. 
§ 34. The kingdom of God had come upon the Jews in 
the war of the Son of Man against the kingdom of Satan, 
I?i the Messianic age all other sins may be forgiven. But 
the blasphemy of the Spirit of God is an everlasting sin 
not to be forgiven in either age. 

Matt. xii. 22-32. Mark iii. 22-30. Luke xi. 14-23. 



Then was brought 
unto him one pos- 
sessed with a demon, 
blind and dumb: 
and he healed him, 
insomuch that the 
dumb man spake and 
saw. And all the 
multitudes were 
amazed, and said, Is 
this the son of 
David? But when 
the Pharisees heard 
it, they said, This 
man doth not cast 
out demons, but by 
Beelzebub the prince 
of the demons. And 
knowing their 
thoughts he said 
unto them, Every 
kingdom divided 
against itself is 
brought to desola- 
tion ; and every city 
or house divided 
against itself shall 



And the scribes 
which came down 
from Jerusalem said, 
He hath Beelzebub, 
and, By the prince of 
the demons casteth 
j he out the demons. 
And he called them 
unto him, and said 
unto them in par- 
ables, How can Satan 
cast out Satan ? And 
if a kingdom be divi- 
ded against itself, 
that kingdom cannot 
stand. And if a 
house be divided 
against itself, that 
house will not be 
able to stand. And 
if Satan hath risen 
up against himself, 
and is divided, he 
cannot stand, but 
hath an end. But 
no one can enter into 
the house of the 



And he was casting 
out a demon which 
was dumb. And it 
came to pass, when 
the demon was gone 
out, the dumb man 
spake ; and the mul- 
titudes marvelled. 
But some of them 
said, By Beelzebub 
the prince of the de- 
mons casteth he out 
demons. And others, 
tempting him, sought 
of him a sign from 
heaven. But he, 
knowing their 
thoughts, said unto 
them, Every king- 
dom divided against 
itself is brought to 
desolation ; a n d a 
house divided 
against a house fall- 
eth. And if Satan 
also is divided 
against himself, how 



180 



THE MESSIAH 



I 



not stand : and if 
Satan casteth out 
Satan, he is divided 
against himself; 
how then shall his 
kingdom stand? 
And if I by Beelze- 
bub cast out demons, 
by whom do your 
sons cast them out ? 
therefore shall they 
be your judges. But 
if I by the Spirit of 
God cast out demons, 
then is the kingdom 
of God come upon 
you. Or how can 
one enter into the 
house of the strong 
man, and spoil his 
goods, except he first 
bind the strong man? 
and then he will 
spoil his house. He 
that is not with me 
is against me; and 
he that gathereth 
not with me scatter- 
eth. Therefore I say 
unto you, Every sin 
and blasphemy shall 
be forgiven unto 
men ; but the blas- 
phemy against the 
Spirit shall not be 
forgiven. And who- 
soever shall speak a 
word against the Son 
of man, it shall be 
forgiven him ; but 
whosoever shall 
speak against the 
Holy Spirit, it shall 
not be forgiven him, 
neither in this world, 
nor in that which 
is to come. 



strong man, and 
spoil his goods, ex- 
cept he first bind the 
strong man ; and 
then he will spoil his 
house. Verily I say 
unto you, All their 
sins shall be forgiven 
unto the sons of 
men, and their blas- 
phemies wherewith 
soever they shall 
blaspheme: but who- 
soever shall blas- 
pheme against the 
Holy Spirit hath 
never forgiveness, 
but is guilty of an 
eternal sin : because 
they said, He hath 
an unclean spirit. 



shall his kingdom 
stand ? because ye 
say that I cast out de- 
mons by Beelzebub. 
And if I by Beelze- 
bub cast out demons, 
by whom do your 
sons cast them out ? 
therefore shall they 
be your judges. But 
if I by the finger of 
God cast outdemons, 
then is the kingdom 
of God come upon 
you. When the 
strong man fully 
armed guardeth his 
own court, his goods 
are in peace : but 
when a stronger than 
he shall come upon 
him, and overcome 
him, he taketh from 
him his whole ar- 
mour wherein he 
trusted, and divideth 
his spoils. He that 
is not with me is 
against me ; and he 
that gathereth not 
with me scattereth. 



The kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God are at 



OF MATTHEW 181 

war. Satan will not war against himself and divide his 
own kingdom into warring factions. If war is carried 
on against the kingdom of Satan that war must be waged 
by the kingdom of God. The casting out of demons is 
an attack upon the kingdom of Satan. He who makes 
the attack represents the kingdom of God. His warfare 
is an evidence that the kingdom of God has come in 
him. The kingdom of God was therefore present with 
the Messiah in his war with Satan. 

The Pharisees might be excused and forgiven for not 
recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and for speaking 
against him. But to attribute to the devil, what was 
really an attack on the devil by the power of the divine 
Spirit, was a more serious matter. It was a denial of the 
work of the Spirit, a blasphemy against God. Such a 
sin was unpardonable. It would not be forgiven either 
in this age of the world or in the age that was to come 
— it would have no forgiveness forever — for it was an 
everlasting sin, a sin going on forever. The antithesis 
between the two ages is a Messianic antithesis between 
the age prior to the Messianic reign and the age of his 
reign. In neither of these ages could the blasphemy 
against the divine Spirit be forgiven. Whether other 
sins might be forgiven in the coming age which are not 
forgiven in this, whether there is only one sin that is an 
everlasting sin, and so the only one unpardonable in the 
Messianic age, we are not told ; but the antithesis be- 
tween the one sin and all others is very suggestive of such 
possibilities. 

THE KINGDOM NIGH. 

§ 35. The twelve were commissioned to preach that the 
kingdom of heaven was nigh. The Messiah was to come ere 
they could complete the cities of Israel in their ministry. 

The Synoptists agree in a report of the commission of 



182 



THE MESSIAH 



the twelve. Mark does not attach it to the doctrine of 
the kingdom, and accordingly we have reserved it from 
his Messianic idea to treat it here. Matthew mingles 
with the commission of the twelve, sayings of Jesus given 
by Luke in the commission of the seventy and also on 
other occasions. We shall endeavor to separate them, 
giving first the parallel reports of Mark and Luke, and 
then the report of Matthew so far as it can be deter- 
mined in the parallelism of the poetry of the Aramaic 
Logia. 

The twelve are commissioned to preach the same doc- 
trine as that of the Baptist and Jesus. 

Matt. x. 



Mark vi. 7-Sa. 

And he called unto 
him the twelve, and 
began to send them 
forth by two and two; 
and he gave them 
authority over the 
unclean spirits; and 
he charged them — 



5- 

And he called unto 
him his twelve disci- 
ples, and gave them 
authority over un- 
clean spirits, to cast 
them out, and to heal 
all manner of disease 
and all manner of 
sickness. 



Luke ix. 1-3^. 

And he called the 
twelve together, and 
gave them power 
and authority overall 
demons, and to cure 
diseases. And he sent 
them forth to preach 
the kingdom of God, 
and to heal the sick. 
And he said unto 
them, 



These twelve Jesus 
sent forth, and 
charged them, say- 
ing, 

The words of Jesus commissioning the twelve are 
given in Luke, in a fragmentary form, from the Logia, 
and in Mark from his own independent source. The 
report of Matthew is fuller, and is really a series of sen- 
tences of the Wisdom of Jesus. We shall follow Mat- 
thew in the main ; but shall use the other gospels in 
order to aid in the reconstruction of the original sen- 
tences of the Wisdom of Jesus. 1 



1 It is evident that if we desire to know the original words of Jesus, the only 
way is to study the three reports of them, and from the three discern the original 
which underlies them all. The only way possible is the path of criticism. 



OF MATTHEW 183 

Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles. (Matt. x. 5-8.) 

And enter not into [any] city of the Samaritans : 

But go rather to the sheep, 

The lost of the house of Israel. 

And as ye go, preach, saying, 

The kingdom of God is at hand. 

Heal the sick, raise the dead, 

Cleanse the lepers, cast out demons : 

Freely ye received, freely give. 1 

Take nothing for your journey 2 (Luke ix. 3<5.) 

Save a staff only. 3 (Mark vi. 8£.) 

Get you no gold nor silver, (Matt. x. 9.) 

Nor brass in your girdles, 

No wallet for your journey, (Matt. x. 10a.) 

Neither have two coats ; 4 (Luke ix. 3^.) 

But be shod with sandals : 5 (Mark vi ga.) 

For the laborer is worthy of his food. (Matt. x. io^/.) 

And into whatsoever city ye enter, 6 (Matt. x. 11.) 

Search out who in it is worthy ; 

And there abide till ye go forth. 

And whosoever shall not receive you, (Matt. x. 14.) 

Nor hear your words, 



1 These nine lines are given only in Matthew. Here as elsewhere he uses 
"kingdom of heaven" for an original "kingdom of God." 

> This line is from Luke. It has been omitted by Matthew. In Mark it is in 
a clause with iva which is clearly not so original as the imperative. 

3 This clause is doubtless original. Matthew, verse 10, gives a reverse state- 
ment that they were not to take a staff. Mr/tie pa(3(hv, is appended to plurals, 
and is obscure. In Luke, verse 3, the staff is prohibited, and begins the list of 
prohibited objects, firj-e pafidov. The statement of Mark comes from the orig- 
inal Mark ; those of Matthew and Luke from the Logia, but in an incorrect form, 
because the words of Mark give a true line of poetry appropriate in this place— the 
words in Matthew and Luke mar the line of poetry to which they are at- 
tached . 

* Mark has, verse gd, pi hdvoaodai, Matthew only, fiySe (dvo xtruvaq), verse 
job. 

5 Matthew, verse ior, has only /irjde vTrodrjfxara ; it is absent altogether from 
Luke. 

• Matthew, verse 11a, adds village, which is an enlargement by explanation ; 
it did not belong to the original. The house of Mark and Luke is due to an ab- 
breviation of the two lines of Matthew. 



1%± THE MESSIAH 

As ye go forth out of that city ' 

Shake off the dust of your feet, 

For a testimony against them. (Luke ix. $d.) 

But when they persecute you in this city, (Matt. x. 23.) 

Flee unto the next : 

For verily I say unto you, 

Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, 

Till the Son of Man be come. 

These words of Jesus give the commission of the 
twelve for their first missionary journey in Palestine. 
The only one of these sayings which is not altogether 
harmonious, is Matthew x. 23. These words are so 
well suited to the words with which Matthew begins the 
commission, limitingtheir ministry to Israel, that it seems 
likely that they were spoken at this time rather than in 
connection with the words which immediately precede 
them in Matthew, but which are given elsewhere in Luke. 
Moreover, they disclose an early stage in the teaching 
of Jesus respecting the second Advent. 

A study of this commission of the twelve makes it clear 
that the theme of their preaching was the same as that 
of the Master itself. The kingdom of God was at hand. 
This was to be proclaimed everywhere among the Jews. 
The nation of Israel was called to repent and to prepare 
for the kingdom by repentance. The preachers were 
endowed with miraculous energy to do the same mira- 
cles as Jesus himself did. They were assured that they 
must limit their labors to Israel, for the time would be 
insufficient to herald the glad tidings even to all Israel. 
The Messiah would come before they could complete 
the list of the cities of Israel in their ministry. This 
coming of the Son of Man is a coming, future to the 



1 Matthew prefixes house to city, but this is only an explanatory addition to the 
original city as given in Luke, verse 5^, and i adder, Mark, verse nc 



OF MATTHEW 185 

first coming. It is probably to be conceived as his com- 
ing to establish the kingdom of God, and not as his 
coming to judgment. To his hearers, at the time when 
it was spoken, it had an indefinite meaning which could 
only be cleared up through subsequent teachings of 
Jesus or by the events themselves. These two comings 
had not yet been distinguished. Two things are, how- 
ever, clearly taught — (i) the speedy coming of the Son of 
Man, and (2) the nearness of tne kingdom ; however 
these events might be related to one another. 

The words of Jesus which Matthew has inserted here, 
according to his- custom, about the main stock of the 
commission of the twelve, are scattered in Luke and be- 
long to several different occasions, as the parallels show. 

(1) Matt. x. 



X. 12, 


13 


= 


L 


uke 


X. 


5,6. 


x. 15 




= 




« 


X. 


12. 


x. 16 




= 




tt 


x. 


3- 


x. 40 




= 




a 


x. 


16. 


x. 41, 


42. 













These saying are given their historical setting in the 
commission of the Seventy in Luke. They may be bet- 
ter understood in that connection. They are reserved 
for treatment there, although they were taken from the 
Logia. 1 

(2) Matt. x. 17-22 = Markxiii.9-13 = Luke xxi. 12-17. 
These were taken from the Apocalypse of Jesus and 
have already been considered. 3 

(3) Matt. x. 24, 25 = Luke vi. 40. 

" x. 26-33 = Luke xii. 2-9. 
" x. 34-36 = " xii. 51-53. 
" x - 37, 38 - " xiv. 26, 27. 



1 See p. 238. 3 See p. 143. 



186 



THE MESSIAH 



These sayings belong to several occasions in connec- 
tion with the Perean ministry, and may be appropri- 
ately considered later. 1 

(4) Matt. x. 39 = Luke xvii. 33. 

This sentence belongs to the lesser Apocalypse of 
Jesus as given in Luke, where it will be considered. 3 






I 



THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH. 

§ 36. The story of Jonah is the symbol of the Son of 
Man. His preaching, like that of Jonah, calls for repent- 
ance, and if rejected will receive severer condemnation. 
He is to remain three days in the grave. 

The time when Jesus began to predict his death and re- 
surrection is not altogether certain. The transfiguration 
is the great event opening the second stage of his 
career. Luke reports in connection with that event that 
Moses and Elijah, who appeared in the Glory, spake of 
his decease, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. 3 
But a week before, the confession of the apostles is fol- 
lowed by a prediction of his death and resurrection/ 
This confession is due to a crisis which follows the miracle 
of the loaves and fishes, the death of John the Baptist, 
and the return of the apostles. It is in connection with 
this crisis that we meet with the demand for a sign and 
the prediction of his death, in the gospel of John. The 
gospel of Mark gives at the same time a Pharisaic 
demand for a sign which appears in the parallels of Mat- 
thew and Luke, in different connections. Mark does 
not report the sign that was predicted, and therefore we 
have reserved the matter for consideration here. But a 
careful study of the whole subject makes it probable that 
this prediction of his death and resurrection is really based 



1 See p. 196. 



Ice p. 246. 



3 ix.31. See p. 100. 



* See p. 94. 



OF MATTHEW 



187 



upon a demand for a sign, and is presented for the first 
time, in the order of the Synoptists, in the sign of Jonah. 

Luke xi. 29-32. 

And when the mul- 
titudes were gath- 
ering together unto 
him, he began to say, 
This generation is 
an evil generation : 
it seeketh after a 
sign ; and there shall 
no sign be given to 
it but the sign of 
Jonah. For even as 
Jonah became a sign 
unto the Ninevites, 
so shall also the Son 
of Man be to this 
generation. The 
queen of the south 
shall rise up in the 
judgment with the 
men of this genera- 
tion, and shall con- 
demn them : for she 
came from the ends 
of the earth to hear 
the wisdom of Solo- 
mon ; and behold, 
a greater than Solo- 
mon is here. The 
men of Nineveh 
shall stand up in the 
judgment with this 
generation, and shall 
condemn it : for they 
repented at the 
pi-eaching of Jonah ; 
and behold, a greater 
than Jonah is here. 



Mark viii. 10-13. 

And straightway 
he entered into the 
boat with his disci- 
ples, and came into 
the parts of Dalma- 
nutha. And the 
Pharisees came 
forth, and began to 
question with him, 
seeking of him a 
sign from heaven, 
tempting him. And 
he sighed deeply in 
his spirit, and saith, 
Why doth this gen- 
eration seek a sign ? 
verily I say unto 
you, There shall no 
sign be given unto 
this generation. 
And he left them, 
and again entering 
into the boat de- 
parted to the other 
side. 



Matt. xii. 38-42. 

Then certain of 
! the scribes and Phari- 
| sees answered him, 
I saying, Master, we 
would see a sign 
from thee. But he 
answered and said 
, unto them, An evil 
! and adulterous gen- 
eration seeketh after 
a sign ; and there 
shall no sign be 
given to it but the 
sign of Jonah the 
prophet : for as Jo- 
nah was three days 
and three nights in 
the belly of the 
whale ; so shall the 
Son of Man be three 
days and three 
nights in the heart 
of the earth. The 
men of Nineveh 
shall stand up in 
the judgment with 
this generation, and 
shall condemn it : 
for they repented at 
the preaching of Jo- 
nah ; and behold, a 
greater than Jonah ' 
is here. The queen | 
of the south shall 
rise up in the judg- 
ment with this gen- 
eration, and shall 
condemn it : for she 
came from the ends 
of the earth to hear 
the wisdom of Solo- 
mon ; and behold, a 
greater than Solo- 
mon is here. 



183 THE MESSIAH 

The Pharisees were not convinced by the miracles of 
mercy which Jesus wrought, or the gospel to the poor 
that Jesus preached. They demanded a Messianic sign. 
There was some propriety in this request when the Mes- 
sianic idea was conceived in the lines of the king and 
the kingdom, or of the Son of Man of the Apocalypse 
of Daniel. But Jesus was at present fulfilling rather the 
ideal of the Messianic servant, which, to the Jews of the 
time, was in the background and not understood. He 
was indeed the Son of Man, but engaged in a work 
prior to the advent in the clouds. Jesus refuses to give 
them a sign at present. But at the same time he refers 
them to the future, when a sign would be given. The 
story of Jonah is the symbol of the sign, both in his 
abode in the belly of the fish and in his preaching, only 
the order of the story is reversed. The preacher is now 
in their presence, he is calling them to repentance. Nine- 
veh repented at the preaching of Jonah. The queen of 
the south came to learn from the wisdom of Solomon. 
Jesus is a greater preacher and offers them surpassing 
wisdom. Those who do not repent will be more severely 
condemned in the judgment. 

But Jonah is especially the symbol of the sign of the 
Son of Man in his abiding in the belly of the fish. The 
Son of Man is also to spend three days in the grave. 
It is not said here that he will be put to death, but it is 
implied that he will die. It is not said that he will rise 
again ; but the limit of three days implies it. This 
brief form of the prediction is an evidence that it is prior 
to all others relating to his death. It not only gives a 
sign, but interprets it in part by predicting the abode in 
the grave and the serious consequences of rejecting the 
gospel. Thus Jesus points to his death and resurrec- 
tion as the sign of the Son of Man, the sign which is to 



OF MATTHEW 189 

give to men the divine testimony of his Messiahship. 
But that sign could not be given until the event itself. 
It could only be given in the form of prediction prior to 
the event. 1 

THE ROCK PETER. 

§ 37. Peter is the rock upon which the Church will be 
built. He will have the keys of the kingdom, and his dis- 
cipline will be ratified in heaven. Jesus will be present in 
the assembly of his disciples during their exercise of dis- 
cipline. 

The four evangelists unite in giving the confession of 
Peter in the region of Caesarea Philippi and his recogni- 
tion of Jesus as the Messiah ; 2 but Matthew alone gives 
the prediction respecting Peter as the rock. 3 This pre- 



1 The story of Jonah as here used by Jesus is not thereby accredited as history. 
Jesus uses fiction of his own composition in his beautiful parables. Why should 
he not use, for purposes of illustration, fiction from the Old Testament likewise ? 
Paul uses the story of Jannes and Jambres (2 Tim. iii. 8), and Jude (verse 9) the 
story of the contest of Michael with the devil over the body of Moses, both from 
legends of Jewish Haggada. If the modern critical theory of Jonah be correct, 
that the story of Jonah was designedly written as historic fiction to set forth in a 
symbol the resurrection of Israel in order to renew his prophetic calling to minister 
salvation to the Gentiles, then the use which Jesus makes of it is not only appro- 
priate in itself, but closely allied to its original meaning. 

2 See p. 94. 

3 This passage was originally in Aramaic and in the measures of poetry, the 
parallelism of which appears in the Greek ; but the present mode of expression 
in the Greek shows a later stage of reflection than the discourses of the Logia. 
If this passage had been in the Logia, it would not have been omitted by Luke ; 
for though of the school of Paul, it is not probable that Luke would have omitted 
a passage so highly honorable to Peter and so important for Peter's position and 
authority in the Church, all the more that Luke ascribes to Peter a prominence 
in the founding of the Church which seems to be a fulfilment of the prediction 
of this passage. Matthew must have derived this saying of Jesus from a tradi- 
tional source, which had moulded the words of Jesus into a cast of language 
suited to a later stage of the history of the apostolic church. The history of the 
earlier chapters of the book of Acts seems to be behind the present form of this 
word of Jesus. 



190 THE MESSIAH 

diction has been the theme of much discussion, espe- 
cially in the controversy between the Roman Catholics 
and the Protestants. But a scientific exegesis finds a 
meaning which is above the strife of sects, and which 
gives an important development of the Messianic idea. 

And Jesus answered and said unto him, 

Blessed art thou, Simon bar-Jonah : 

For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 

But my Father which is in heaven. 

And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, 

And upon this rock I will build my church ; 

And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 

I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of God. 1 

And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, 

Shall be bound in heaven : 

And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, 

Shall be loosed in heaven. (Matt. xvi. 17-19.) 

It is clear that Peter is the rock upon which the Church 
is built, as the Roman Catholics and the best modern 
Protestant interpreters, following the ancient church, 
teach. 2 The efforts of the older Protestant interpreters 
to overcome this by making the confession of Peter, or 
the. person to whom he confesses, the Messiah, the rock 
of the Church, are shattered on the plain statements of 
the text. There are two parallel figures of speech. In 
the one the Church 8 is compared to a great building 



1 The original was doubtless kingdom of God. See p. 79. 

2 See Weiss, Matthausevangelium, s. 393 ; Holtzmann, Die Synoptiker, s. 
193. As Weiss says, the Aramaic original used N5}*3 in the place rendered 
in the Greek 7T£rpoc, as well as in that rendered Trerpa. The gospel of John 
briefly refers to this meaning when Jesus said, "Thou art Simon, the son of 
John : thou shalt be called Cephas, [which is by interpretation, Peter] " (John i. 
42). There is a word-play which in Aramaic was made by the use of the one 
word, but which had to be given in the Greek idiom by two words. 

s It is probable that in the original Aramaic words of this saying, kingdom was 
used, and that 'nKKAi/aia was unconsciously substituted for it in the tradition, in 



OF MATTHEW 191 

erected on a rock ; in the other the kingdom is a city 
with gates of which Peter has the keys. The figure of 
a church built on a rock is similar to the kingdom of 
God in the Old Testament, which is built on the rock 
Yahweh, whose corner-stone is laid in Zion, 1 and whose 
corner-stone and cap-stone are the Messiah. 2 We should 
doubtless expect that God or the Messiah would be the 
rock of the kingdom (church) here, as He is elsewhere in 
the New Testament, the foundation ; 3 but Christ is here 
the builder, and therefore cannot be at the same time 
the rock of the kingdom (the church). The prediction 
that Peter will be the rock does not contradict the more 
important doctrine that God and his Messiah are the 
rock of the Church. But there is a propriety in the pre- 
diction that Peter will be the rock, for here, as else- 
where, the kingdom (the church) is made up of persons, 
and not of doctrines and laws. 4 Peter is the rock upon 



accordance with the usage of the early Christians as reflected in the Epistles. 
They interpreted the kingdom of grace of the gospels as the Church, and for 
the most part limited the use of the kingdom of God to the kingdom of glory of 
the second Advent. Jesus uses kingdom for both of these stages of his king- 
dom. The only exception to his usage in the gospels is here. In the corre- 
sponding passage, also peculiar to Matthew and also from a traditional source, 
Matthew xviii. 15-20, enK?.7]<jia is used. But in that passage church is used for a 
congregation, as we shall see — here, however, for the whole body of Christians. 
The Aramaic NpUp is used in theTargums for Israel as a whole, and this usage 

is justified by the use of pnp in the Old Testament. There is no reason to 
doubt that Jesus was familiar with the expression. But why did he avoid it in 
every passage but this ? Is it probable that he would use it here alone ? The 
answer to this question does not in any way modify our interpretation of the 
kingdom. The question is simply whether this use of the term sS*lp, eKK/.ijoia, 
Church, began with Jesus or with his apostles. There can be no doubt that 
kingdom and Church are identified in this passage. See Weiss, Matthaus- 
evangelium, s. 394. 

1 Isaiah xxviii. 16. See Briggs' Messianic Prophecy^ p. 208 seq. 

a Zechariah iii. 9. 

3 1 Cor. iii. 10, 11. 

4 1 Peter ii. 4 seq.\ Eph. ii. 19-22 ; 1 Cor. iii. 12-15. 



192 THE MESSIAH 

which all the other members of the kingdom rest, be- 
cause he was the first to enter the kingdom, by first con- 
fessing the Messiah and by first speaking at Pentecost 
the word of the Holy Spirit, constituting the Church. 
All others are his successors, built upon him, upon his 
teaching and his example. So afterwards he and other 
apostles are the pillars of the Church, 1 and the twelve 
foundations of the temple and city of God. 2 But Peter 
is also the porter of the city of God. Elsewhere 
the Messiah himself keeps the gate and has the keys.* 
Here he gives them to Peter. In other places they 
are given to the apostles and to an assembly of Chris- 
tians. 4 They are here given to Peter first because he 
was first, the spokesman of the apostolic body and of 
the kingdom (church) in its recognition of the Messiah. 
He has the keys to admit into the kingdom and to ex- 
clude from the kingdom. This government is not an 
arbitrary government of Peter, but it is a government 
that is ratified in heaven and is therefore in accordance 
with instruction from heaven, for Peter acts as the 
representative and mouthpiece of the Messiah him- 
self. The connection of the kingdom with Peter is 
of great importance in the development of the Messianic 
idea. 

The kingdom and the Church are synonymous expres- 
sions. The figures of speech employed in their explica- 
tion give two other parallel and synonymous expressions 
which recur in the epistles, namely, the temple of God 
and the city of God. These four phases of the same 
thing, these synonymous conceptions of the kingdom of 



i Gal. ii. 9. 

3 Eph. ii. 20 ; Rev. xxi. 14. 

3 Rev. iii. 7. 

* Matt, xviii. 15-20 ; xxviii. 19, 20 ; Mark xvi. 15. 



OF MATTHEW 193 

God, are all to come into existence in connection with 
the ministry of Peter. The doctrine that the kingdom 
was near and that it would be established during the 
ministry of the disciples is now made more definite by 
the prediction that it would be established during the 
ministry of Peter. Peter was to be the foremost in 
establishing it. It was to be built on him and he was to 
open its gates to those who followed him. The kingdom 
of God was thus to be a considerable time prior to the 
death of Peter, for Peter was to be the chief agent among 
the apostles in establishing it. 

The authority of the keys, given into the hands of 
Peter in the passage just considered, was in another pass- 
age given to the church. 

And if thy brother sin against thee, 

Go, shew him his fault between thee and him alone : 

If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 

But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, 

That at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be 

established. 
And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church ; 
And if he refuse to hear the church also, 
Let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. 
Verily I say unto you, 
What things soever ye shall bind on earth 
Shall be bound in heaven : 
And what things soever ye shall loose on earth 
Shall be loosed in heaven. 
Again I say unto you, 
That if two of you shall agree on earth 
As touching anything that they shall ask, 
It shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, 
There am I in the midst of them. (Matthew xviii. 15-20.) 

The church, as here used, is the assembly of brethren, 



194 THE MESSIAH 

the congregation of disciples. 1 The one, the two or 
three, the brotherhood represent the three steps for the 
recovery of the sinner. This is doubtless the earliest 
law of discipline for the Church. It directs the three 
stages of process — (i) the private, the fraternal visit; 

(2) the fraternal admonition in the presence of witnesses ; 

(3) the appeal to the congregation. The decision is 
made by the voice of the congregation, which is really 
the voice of the Messiah who is with them in spiritual 
invisible presence. They act in his authority as Peter 
did and their discipline will be ratified in heaven as his 
was. 

There is, however, a difference in conception between 
the discipline of Peter and that of the congregation. 
The discipline of Peter is a discipline at the gates of the 
kingdom to admit or exclude those who would enter the 
Church. He is the porter to keep the door and decide 
finally who may enter the Church. The discipline of 
the congregation is an internal discipline of those already 
within the church, and has to do with the recovery of 
sinning Christians or the exclusion of the unworthy from 
the kingdom. 



1 'EKK7i?jaia is used twice in this passage, which like the previous one bears 
traces of the gnomic style of the sayings of Jesus and yet was probably not de- 
rived from the Logia, at least in its present form. 'EKK?./)Gia here alone in the 
gospels is used apparently of a local congregation, as frequently in the epistles, 
and yet there is nothing to suggest a plurality of congregations such as we find 
in the epistles. The congregation is here conceived of as one assembly. There 
is nothing to suggest official members of the congregation. The congregation 
seem to act as a whole. All this favors the primitive origin of this saying. 
'EnK?iTicia is a familiar word in the LXX. It is there used 56 times for the He- 
brew ^rtp, which is thus translated everywhere in the Old Testament apart from 
the Pentateuch, and In Deuteronomy with the exception of v. 22. The other 
Pentateuchal examples are rendered avvayu}/'/. As Hatch says: "It is rea- 
sonable to infer a close similarity of meaning between ovvayuyy and EKnATjoia " 
(Essays on Biblical Greek, p. 21). 



OF MATTHEW ]95 

It is not certain whether the last of these sayings of 
Jesus is in its original place. It is in some respects more 
important than those which precede it. It promises a real 
but spiritual presence of the Messiah with his assembled 
disciples even when they were no more than two or three 
in number. This promise of the presence of the Mes- 
siah is the guarantee of the granting of their petitions. 
But they must agree in their asking. No promise of 
ratification is given to a disagreeing or a divided 
congregation. 

The doctrine of the kingdom receives an important 
advance in this discourse. As the previous passage has 
shown that the Church and the kingdom are synony- 
mous terms, and there the Church was compared to a 
city with gates, and a building erected on a rock, so here 
the Church is a congregation assembled together in the 
name of Jesus, in the midst of which he himself is ever 
present to preside and to direct its discipline and govern- 
ment. The promise of the presence of Jesus is here so 
comprehensive that it is impossible to think of a bodily 
or visible presence. He promises his spiritual presence, 
real though unseen, powerful though insensible. This 
doctrine of the spiritual presence of the Messiah with 
the congregation of his Church or kingdom is to be 
carefully distinguished from his advent to establish his 
kingdom on the one side, and his Advent to judge the 
kingdom on the other. 

THE DISCIPLE LIKE THE MASTER. 

§ 38. Jesus came to cast fire and sword upon the earth. 
There will be divisions among the most intimate relatives. 
Jesus has a baptism of suffering to undergo, and the disci- 
ples zvill be treated as their Master. When called they 
should separate themselves from all other ties, abstain 



196 THE MESSIAH 

from marriage, hate all relatives who interpose between 
them and the Messiah, bear his cross and follow him in a 
homeless life, to a shameful death. They have nothing to 
fear; God values them so highly that they will be carefully 
guarded. Whosoever confesses Jesus before men will be 
confessed before the Father in heaven. Those who deny 
the Messiah will be denied before the Father in heaven. 
He is to be feared who may destroy soul and body in 
Gehenna. 

Matthew, as we have seen, inserts some sentences of 
Jesus in the commission of the twelve which are given 
by Luke very properly in connection with the Perean 
ministry. 1 There are two sets of these. We shall try to 
give the original sentences from a comparative study of 
the two evangelists. Luke begins with the historical 
introduction, 

In the meantime, when the many thousands of the multitude 
were gathered together, insomuch that they trode one upon 
another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, 

Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, 2 (Luke xii. i.) 

A disciple is not above his master, (Matth. x. 24-26.) 

Nor a servant above his lord. 

It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, 

And the servant as his lord. 

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, 

How much more them of his household ! 

Fear them not therefore : 3 

For there is nothing covered, 4 that shall not be revealed; 

And hid, that shall not be known. 



1 See p. 186. 

2 " Which is hypocrisy," is an explanatory addition of Luke. 

3 These lines of Matthew are prefixed to the same lines as those which follow 
in Luke, and they seem appropriate in this setting. 

4 Matthew's KEnaAv/xfxivov — Luke's ovjKenaAvfifitvov. 



OF MATTHEW 197 

Wherefore 1 whatsoever ye have said in the darkness (Luke 

xii. 3) 
Shall be heard in the light ; 
And what in the ear in the inner chambers 
Shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 2 
And I say unto you my friends, 3 (Luke xii. \a, b.) 
Be not afraid of them which kill the body, 
But are not able to kill the soul : 4 (Matt. x. 28^.) 
But I will warn you whom ye shall fear : (Luke xii. 5#.) 
Fear him, who after he hath killed, is able 
To destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 5 (Matt. x. 2%d.) 
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny (Matt. x. 29-31.) 
And not one of them shall fall on the ground 
Without your Father : 
But the very hairs of your head, 
All are numbered, 
Fear not therefore ; 

Ye are of more value than many sparrows. 6 
And I say unto you, 7 (Luke xii. 8a.) 
Every one who shall confess me before men. (Matt. x. 32, 33.) 



1 Matthew's 3 teyu v/ulv is a modification of Luke's uv& d>v baa eiirare to suit 
the use of the saying in the commission. 

2 The fkaTir/oare of Luke is unnecessary and it makes the line too long. The 
antithesis of inner chambers to housetops is in its favor. Ear is common to 
Matthew and Luke. Matthew inserts ukovste for the reason given above. 
The change of nr/pvxflqoeTai into KTipbt-are had the same motive. 

' This line is given only in Luke. 

* This of Matthew is simpler than Luke " after that have no more that they 
can do," which seems more comprehensive and a later enlargement of the 
thought. 

6 The original lies back of both Matthew and Luke, each having made modifi- 
cations ; Luke's tov ixovra k^ovaiav being a different translation of the original 
from Matthew's tov Svvdfievov, which latter is given above. Matthew omits 
fiETa to curoKTelvai, because of his retaining of " soul and body " in the next line. 
The antithesis of soul and body is important as it appears above. Luke gener- 
alizes when he substitutes "cast into Gehenna." 

8 Matthew is to be preferred throughout to Luke xii. 6, 7. Luke has abbrevi- 
ated and generalized, and injured the measurement of the lines. 

7 This line introducing another saying is given only by Luke. Because of its 
omission Matthew uses the particle ovv. 



198 THE MESSIAH 

Him will I confess before my Father. 1 
But whosoever shall deny me before men, 
Him will 1 also deny before my Father. 

The disciples are warned to beware of the leaven of 
the Pharisees, which is defined by Luke as hypocrisy, 
and to keep in view the final clearing up of all things. 
They are to have no fear of men, but to fear God alone, 
who pronounces the final doom of the judgment day, 
and who will deal with men with the greatest interest 
and paternal care. The most important thing to do is 
to confess the Messiah. Upon this everything depends. 
Those who confess him before men will be confessed by 
him before the Father. But those who deny him be- 
fore men will be denied by him before the Messiah's 
Father. In other words, the life of the disciple and his 
preaching of the gospel are to be conducted in view of 
the presence of God, before whom he will ultimately 
stand for judgment. That judgment is either a con- 
fession and recognition, or a denial and rejection which 
results in the destruction of soul and body in Gehenna. 

On a later occasion the following sentences were 
spoken by Jesus : 

I came to cast fire upon the earth ; (Luke xii. 49, 50.) 

And what do I desire, if it is already kindled ? 

But I have a baptism to be baptized with ; 

And how am I straitened till it be accomplished ! 

Think not that I came (Matthew x. 34.) 

To cast peace upon the earth ; 2 



1 The "angels of God," of Luke, instead of " Father who is in heaven" in 
Matthew, seems to be a later and less simple conception, not so natural in the 
discourse of Jesus. It is also probable that "who is in heaven " is an am- 
plification of Matthew. The verses which follow in Luke xii. 10 = Matthew 
xii. 31, 32 ; and Luke xii. 11, 12 ±= Matthew x. 19, 20 seem to belong elsewhere 
(see pp. t8c, 144). They seem not quite in harmony with the sayings given above. 

a Matt., ver. 34a, is closer to Luke xii. 49, and is simpler and more graphic 
than Luke xii. 51a. 



OF MATTHEW 199 

Not to cast peace, but a sword. 1 

For there shall be from henceforth divided, (Luke xii. 52, 53.) 

Five in one house ; 

Three against two, and two against three ; 

Father against son, and son against father; 2 

Mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother ; 

Mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law 

against her mother-in-law, 3 
And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 4 (Matt. 

x. 36.) 

The results of the first advent of Jesus are not peace 
and the kingdom of glory, but strife, warfare, and suffer- 
ing. The Messiah is hastening on to the climax of his 
sufferings, and these will be followed by the sufferings 
of his disciples. Families will be divided and intimate 
relationships broken up. 

We may appropriately consider here another lesson 
of discipleship spoken on a different and probably a later 
occasion. 

If any man cometh to me 

And hateth not his own father, and his mother, 5 
And his wife, and his son and his daughter, 6 
And his brothers and his sisters, 



1 Both Matt., ver. 34*, and Luke, ver. 51^, have changed the original to make 
it clearer. The sword of Matthew is doubtless original. Luke changed it to 
suit the subsequent context. 

3 Matt., vers. 3^ 36, is greatly abbreviated. Luke, ver. 53, inserts the verb 
for explication. 

•These lines vary in length because of the English words. In Hebrew or Ara- 
maic they would be tetrameters or four separate words each. 

* This line is given only by Matthew. 

6 Matt. x. 37-39 softens the " hateth " of the original into a comparative •' love." 
This is of the nature of interpretation. He also softens " cannot be my dis- 
ciple " into " is not worthy of me." 

* It is probable that " son or daughter" of Matthew is nearer the original than 
the compressed " children " of Luke. It is most probable that the original words 
were as given above. 



200 



THE MESSIAH 



t\ 



Yea, and his own self also, 1 

He cannot be my disciple. 

Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, 

And come after me, 

Cannot be my disciple.' 2 (Luke xiv. 26, 27.) 

The disciples of Jesus are required to follow him with 
the renunciation of every other tie that will hinder the 
claims of discipleship. Even the most sacred claims of 
father and mother, wife and children, which no one ex- 
alts higher than Jesus, must not restrain the disciple. 
He is not only to love the Messiah above his parents, 
but he is so to love him as to hate whatever relatives 
obstruct this love. The disciple is to hazard his life for 
the Master, and to hate himself in order to love the 
Master supremely. Only by entire self-renunciation and 
cross-bearing can he attain the prize of his own higher self. 

There are two other sayings of Jesus which were prob- 
ably taken from the Logia relating to this subject, the 
one reported by Matthew, the other by Luke. Their 
historical occasion is doubtful. Luke reports the one 
saying just before the sending forth of the seventy. He 
attaches it to the words reported also by Matthew which 
are cognate. It is improbable that Matthew would have 
omitted it, if it was connected in the original. These 
sayings are loosely attached. 



Matthew viii. 19, 20. 

A certain man said unto him, 
I will follow thee whithersoever 
thou goest. And Jesus said 
unto him : 



Luke ix. 57, 58. 

And there came a scribe, and 
said unto him, Master, I will fol- 
low thee whithersoever thou go- 
est. And Jesus saith unto him : 



1 il> v XV * s self here and not life, see p. 97. 

2 The cross-bearing of the disciple is involved in the cross-bearing of Jesus. 
Matt., ver. 39, adds a word suggested by ver. 38 from an earlier connection. 
Mark viii. 34, 35 — Matt. xvi. 24, 25 — Luke ix. 23, 24. See p. 98. 



OF MATTHEW 



201 



The foxes have holes, 

And the birds of the heaven nests ; 

But the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. 1 

No greater contrast is conceivable than that between 
the Son of Man enthroned in the clouds, of Daniel, and 
the homeless Son of Man, of the Logia. This was a pre- 
existence on earth not thought of in the Apocalypses 
of Daniel and of Enoch. Such a homeless life does the 
prophet Jesus hold out to the man who would follow him 
in his mission in Palestine. 



Matthew viii. 21, 22. 

And another of the disciples 
said unto him, Lord, suffer me 
first to go and bury my father. 
But Jesus saith unto him, 



Luke ix. 59, 60. 

And he said unto another, 
Follow me. But he said, Lord, 
suffer me first to go and bury 
my father. But he said unto 
him, 



Leave the dead to bury their own dead ; 

But go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God.' 2 

The proclamation of the kingdom of God was so im- 
portant that even the most sacred duty of burial of the 
dead must not impede it. 

Luke now gives a third incident : 

And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord ; but first suffer 
me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But Jesus said 
unto him, 

No man, having put his hand to the plough, 

And looking back, 

Is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke ix. 61, 62). 

The service of the kingdom demands a faithful disci- 
ple who will go straight forward without regrets and 



1 Matthew and Luke are exactly the same in these three lines. 

3 Matthew transposes the lines and reduces the last to the simple " Follow 
me," which was suggested by the previous context. It destroys the measure of 
the line as preserved by Luke. 



202 THE MESSIAH 

without leave-takings, in spite of every difficulty, in the 
work of the kingdom. 

Matthew appends a saying of Jesus, doubtless from 
the Logia, to a discourse of Jesus respecting divorce. 
This was probably not its original place ; as it is not in 
the gospel of Mark, or in the corresponding passage of 
Luke. 

All men cannot receive this saying, but they to whom it is given. 
For there are eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's 

womb : 
And there are eunuchs, which were made eunuchs by men : 
And there are eunuchs, which made themselves eunuchs for the 

sake of the kingdom of God. 
He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. 

(Matthew xix. u, 12.) 

This passage clearly teaches that there are some men 
who are to abstain from marriage for the sake of the 
kingdom of God ; that is, in order that they may do the 
work of the kingdom without hindrances from the state 
of matrimony with its wife and children. It is not a 
universal precept ; but it is a counsel of perfection to 
those who are able to receive it and to do it. It is of the 
same nature as the advice given above, that the disciple 
must give up all earthly ties of family, or property, or 
self-indulgence, in order to consecrate himself absolutely 
and entirely to the work of the kingdom. 1 

THE KINGDOM THE SUPREME QUEST. 

§ 39. The kingdom is the supreme object of the disciples 

pursuit. It is the great pleasure of God to give it to them. 

They are to strive to enter its gates, for it is guarded by 

an act of judgment. Many will be excluded who have 

enjoyed great privileges ; but multitudes from all parts of 

1 See p. 104. 



OF MATTHEW 



203 



the earth will sit down with the patriarchs and prophets 
in the kingdom of God. The kingdom is one of the objects 
of prayer. 

Matthew in his report of the Sermon on the Mount 
has given portions of two discourses which are in a more 
appropriate connection in the gospel of Luke. The 
first of these is as follows : 

Be not therefore anxious, saying, 1 (Matt. vi. 31, 32.) 

What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal 

shall we be clothed? 2 

For after all these things do the nations 3 seek, 

And your Father knoweth that ye have need 4 of these things. 

(Luke xii. 30^-32.) 
But seek ye first his kingdom, 5 

And these things 6 shall be added unto you. 

Fear not, little flock, 7 

For it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

There is a great contrast between the things of this 
life about which we are not to be anxious, and the king- 
dom about which we are to be so anxious that we are 
to make it our supreme quest. The kingdom has as its 
parallel in Matthew righteousness. This righteousness is 
the righteousness of God, the righteousness of the king- 
dom. The kingdom to be thus sought is not the king- 
dom of grace as it exists in this world, which is not 



1 Luke xii. 29 transposes this line with the following-, and modifies it. 

2 Luke xii. 29 prefixes " seek not ye," and therefore changes the first person of 
Matthew to the second person. He also omits the reference to clothing. That 
makes the line long in English, but in Aramaic it would not be too long. 

3 Luke adds " of the world " to the nations. 

4 Luke xii. 30 preserves the original line which has been enlarged by Matthew, 
who adds " heavenly " to Father, and " all " to these things. 

6 Matthew adds "righteousness," in accordance with the leading idea of the 
Sermon on the Mount. Luke weakens ixpliTOv to ir/J/v. 

6 Matthew adds ndvTa. 

7 This saying is given by Luke alone. 



204 



THE MESSIAH 



guarded by an act of judgment, and which requires 
simply faith and repentance for entrance. It is the 
kingdom of glory that Jesus has in view. This kingdom 
may well excite anxiety on the part of man for its attain- 
ment. Accordingly Luke gives a word of encourage- 
ment on the part of Jesus. The seeking disciples are 
assured that God is willing to bestow it upon them even 
though they be a little flock. 

This encouragement is followed by several parables 
exhorting to watchfulness, some of which are given by 
Matthew in another connection. They seem appro- 
priate in their connection in Luke. But as it is proba- 
ble that both of the evangelists use them apart from 
their historical connection, we shall use them under 
another head. 

The second of these passages exhorts to earnest striv- 
ing to enter into the kingdom. 



I\ 



Luke xiii. 23-30. 

And one said unto him, Lord, 
are they few that be saved ? 
And he said unto them, Strive 
to enter in by the narrow door : 
for many, I say unto you, shall 
seek to enter in, and shall not 
be able. When once the master 
of the house is risen up, and 
hath shut to the door, and ye 
begin to stand without, and to 
knock at the door, saying, Lord, 
open to us ; and he shall an- 
swer and say to you, I know 
you not whence ye are ; then 
shall ye begin to say, We did 
eat and drink in thy presence, 
and thou didst teach in our 
streets ; and he shall say, I tell 
you, I know not whence ye are ; 
depart from me, all ye workers 
of iniquity. There shall be the 



Matt. vii. 13-14, 21-23. 

Enter ye in by the narrow 
gate : for wide is the gate, and 
broad is the way, that leadeth 
to destruction, and many be 
they that enter in thereby. For 
narrow is the gate, and strait- 
ened the way, that leadeth unto 
life, and few be they that find 
it. 

Not every one that saith unto 
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven ; but he 
that doeth the will of my Father 
which is in heaven. Many will 
say to me in that day, Lord, 
Lord, did we not prophesy by 
thy name, and by thy name cast 
out demons, and by thy name do 
many mighty works? And then 
will I profess unto them, I never 



OF MATTHEW 



205 



weeping and gnashing of teeth, knew you : depart from me, ye 

when ye shall see Abraham, and that work iniquity. 

Isaac, and Jacob, and all the 

prophets, in the kingdom of 

God, and yourselves cast forth 

without. And they shall come 

from the east and west, and 

from the north and south, and 

shall sit down in the kingdom 

of God. And behold, there are 

last which shall be first, and 

there are first which shall be last. 

The narrow door of Luke is the door of the kingdom 
of glory at the advent of the Messiah. But the mean- 
ing of the narrow gate of Matthew is not plain. Meyer, 
Bengel, SchafT, Vincent, and others, take it as the gate 
at the beginning of the Christian life, the gate of regen- 
eration, or repentance ; but De Wette, Tholuck, Stier, 
and others, think of the gate at the end of the way. If 
it is parallel with Luke it is certainly the latter. 1 

Holtzmann and others think that the way is not before 
the gate or behind the gate, but between the posts 
of the gate. The parallels favor this interpretation. 
There would then be a broad way leading to Apoleia, 
and many entering Apoleia by means of it ; and a 
narrow gateway leading unto life and few finding it. 
The way to Apoleia would be the way to the Middle 
State of the lost ; the gate to life would be the gate into 
the kingdom of glory, which few find because they know 
not the righteousness which is required to sustain the 
judgment at the gate. 



i The elg ryv airuleiav of Matthew seems to refer to a place and not a 
condition. It is the Apoleia of the Hellenistic Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha 
(see p 27) and the Abaddcn of the Old Testament, the place of ruin in the 
state immediately after death. If that be so, then the way of Matthew would 
seem to be a way through which the multitudes go when entering the Middle 
State, whereas the door of Luke, which conceives ot a Messianic judgment clos- 
ing the door, is the door into the ultimate state. 



i\ 



206 THE MESSIAH 

This discourse teaches us the difficulty of access to 
the kingdom of God and the necessity of striving in 
order to enter it. The kingdom is here conceived as a 
kingdom whose entrance is guarded by the Lord, and an 
act of judgment decides the entrance. It is therefore 
the kingdom of glory. The title to entrance is not con- 
ditioned upon earthly knowledge of Jesus, is not limited 
to those who met him in Palestine, is not determined 
by professions or by public ministry or miracle-working ; 
but entirely by good works in a good life. Many will 
be excluded who offer claims of birth, or of knowledge, 
or of service. All workers of iniquity will be cast forth, 
no matter how great their privileges have been. The 
patriarchs and prophets will be there, and many from all 
parts of the earth, for it is a universal kingdom for which 
we pray: "Thy Kingdom come." (Matt. vi. 10.) 

THE JUDGMENT OF THE KINGDOM. 
§ 40. The kingdom of God is the most precious treas- 
ure, worth all things else. In its growth it is entangled 
with evil men and evil influences. These cannot be sepa- 
rated from it until the judgment at the End of the Age, 
when the angels will gather out the wicked from the king- 
dom and cast them into the furnace of fire. Then will 
the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of glory. 

Matthew gives a group of Parables of the Kingdom 
which he appends to the Parable of the Sower which we 
have already studied in the Gospel of Mark. 1 

Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of 
heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field ; 
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among 
the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up, and 

» See p. 88. 



OF MATTHEW 



207 



brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the serv- 
ants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou 
not sow good seed in thy field ? whence then hath it tares ? And 
he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants 
say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 
But he saith, Nay ; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye 
root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the 
harvest : and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 
Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them : 
but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matt. xiii. 24-30.) 

This parable describes several difficulties in the growth 
of the kingdom of God. In the parable of the sower, 
the evil one [Satan, the Devil] overcame the good in the 
hearts of the superficial hearers. But in this parable the 
enemy takes a more aggressive part. He sows tares or 
bad seed in the midst of the wheat. These tares are not 
noticed when planted, for the enemy has worked in se- 
cret. They do not disclose themselves when first they 
appear above the ground. It is not until the third stage 
when the ear begins to form into fruit, that the differ- 
ence appears. It is now too late to remove the tares. 
The separation must wait until the harvest. This para- 
ble teaches that it is impossible to prevent evil men from 
entering into the kingdom of grace and mingling with 
its true members. The difference between counterfeit 
Christians and real Christians will appear only in the 
kind of fruit they produce. The kingdom in its external 
form, as it appears to men, will be mixed. This doctrine 
seems to contradict the doctrine of the kingdom that we 
have learned from other discourses. But the contradic- 
tion is only apparent. The kingdom of those sections is 
the kingdom of God in its purity and integrity in the 
eyes of God. Into that kingdom none but the childlike 
and the godlike can enter. That is the kingdom of 
glory. But the kingdom of our parables is the kingdom 



208 TflE MESSIAH 

as it appears in the field of the world, where the gospei 
is preached, and where the good and the bad mingle. 
Into this kingdom not only the true members enter, but 
there are several other classes, including not only the 
three unfruitful classes of the parable of the sower, but 
also the class producing evil fruit of the parable of the 
tares. All these are counterfeit Christians and not world- 
lings. The harvest alone will separate them completely. 
Jesus accordingly explains this parable : 

And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is 
the Son of Man ; and the field is the world ; and the good seed, 
these are the sons of the kingdom ; and the tares are the sons of 
the evil ojie ; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil : and 
the harvest is the End of the Age ; and the reapers are angels. 
As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire ; so 
shall it be in the End of the Age. The Son of Man shall send 
forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all 
things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall 
cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping 
and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as 
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let 
him hear. (Matt. xiii. 37-43.) 

The parable of the tares lays stress upon the con- 
summation of the kingdom, the xpimz ; as the parable 
of the sower laid stress upon its origin, and the parable 
of the growing seed upon its gradual growth. 1 The 
Son of Man and the Evil One are contrasted, the 
one the sower of the good seed, the other of the evil 
seed. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom, those 
who really belong to it, have a right in it, and are des- 
tined to possess it. The evil seed are the sons of the 
Evil One, who have intruded into the kingdom, have no 
rights in it, and are destined to be excluded from it. 

1 See p. 90. 



OF MATTHEW 209 

But during the entire course of the development of the 
kingdom they cannot be excluded. The separation 
comes first at the harvest at the End of the Age. Then 
the Son of Man will employ his angels in the judgment 
and the kingdom will be purified. The evil will be cast 
into the furnace of fire, the Gehenna of weeping and 
wailing. The righteous, no longer hindered by the 
presence of the wicked and conflict with them, will shine 
as the sun in the kingdom. 

This parable teaches us to distinguish (i) the kingdom 
as established, (2) the kingdom in its growth and struggles 
with evil, or the kingdom of grace, and (3) the kingdom 
of glory. In the growing kingdom we distinguish between 
the real kingdom composed only of the children of the 
kingdom, and the apparent kingdom in which several 
classes are mingled. 

Matthew associates with these parables five others 
that have their propriety here. 

The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman 
took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened. 
(Matt. xiii. 33.) 

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the 
field ; which a man found, and hid ; and in his joy he goeth and 
selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a 
merchant seekiftg goodly pearls : and having found one pearl of 
great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast 
into the sea, and gathered of every kind : which, when it was 
rilled, they drew up on the beach ; and they sat down, and gath- 
ered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. So 
shall it be in the End of the Age : the angels shall come forth, 
and sever the wicked from among the righteous, and shall cast 
them into the furnace of fire : there shall be the weeping and 
gnashing of teeth. 

Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, 



210 THE MESSIAH 

Yea. And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath 
been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a 
man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure 
things new and old. (Matt. xiii. 44-52.) 

Two of these parables set forth the preciousness of 
the kingdom as the supreme object of human pursuit. 
They take up the thought of the wonderful virtue wrapt 
up in the mustard seed and in the leaven, in order to make 
the kingdom the most valuable possession that man can 
have. A treasure worth all other possessions, a pearl price- 
less and alone above the sum of all other values — such is 
the worth of the kingdom of God and as such men are to 
seek it. These parables recall the exhortation, '• Seek ye 
first his kingdom." x We return by these parables to the 
origin of the kingdom as set forth in the parable of the 
sower. 8 There it was good seed planted, to grow in 
grace unto glory as its final aim. Here it is a priceless 
treasure sought by man as the supreme and final object 
of his ambition. There it was the kingdom of grace, 
here it is the kingdom of glory. It is the Father's good 
pleasure to give it; men will not seek in vain. They 
must learn the word and through it become godlike. 

The third parable returns to the theme of the parable 
of the tares, the fruition of the kingdom. There the 
End of the Age was a harvest field and the angels were 
reapers. Here it is a drag-net full of fishes and the 
angels are fishermen. There the harvest field was cov- 
ered with bundles of grain and tares. Here the net is 
full of fishes good and bad. The separation in both is 
made by the angels, who alone can make the discrimi- 
nation under the eyes of the judge. The fish cannot be 
distinguished whether they are good or bad till they 



» See p. 203. 3 See p. 88. 



OF MATTHEW 211 

are landed on the shore, as the wheat and tares could 
not be separated till they were ripe. In the parable of 
the tares the stress is laid upon the blessedness of the 
righteous, but in this parable of the drag-net only the 
fate of the wicked is brought into view. 

Matthew concludes this series with the parable of the 
householder, which returns to the doctrine of the devel- 
opment of the kingdom. The sons of the kingdom were 
fruitful grain ; here they are in possession of varied treas- 
ures. The hidden treasure has been taken possession 
of, the choice pearl has been won. The disciple of the 
kingdom has untold wealth, and he bringeth from his 
treasure things new and old as he may need them in the 
work of the kingdom. 

Taking these nine parables together, great light is cast 
upon the doctrine of the kingdom. The kingdom that 
was nigh was the kingdom in its modest, secret, and in- 
significant origin, composed of a few men who had re- 
ceived the word and taken it into their hearts and lives, 
who had become poor and childlike. Such was the 
kingdom in its origin. When it comes into manifesta- 
tion in the world as a kingdom of grace it will be min- 
gled with forces of evil, and the good and bad will re- 
main in its visible forms until the End of the Age, when 
the kingdom of glory appears. 

THE OBSTRUCTIONS TO THE KINGDOM. 

§41. The Pharisees will not enter the kingdom them- 
selves, nor suffer those who are entering to enter. All the 
guilt of the historic rejection of the prophets will come 
upon the generation of Jesus. The temple will be left 
desolate, but eventually Jesus will be welcomed as the Mes- 
siah. 



212 



THE MESSIAH 



Matthew gives a collection of seven woes pronounced 
by Jesus upon the Pharisees, the most of which are 
given by Luke on an earlier occasion. There is also a 
prologue and an epilogue made up of sayings gathered 
from different places : 



Prologue. 



Woes. . 



f Matt, xxiii. 1-3. 


« 


" 4=Luke xi. 45-46. 


« 


5-7= Mark xii. 38-40 ; Luke xi. 43 ; xx. 




45-47- 


<< 


" 8-12. Parenetic words of evangelist. 


' 1. Matt 


xxiii. i3=Luke xi. 52. 


<< 


" 14. Not in best MSS., omitted 




by R. V., assimilated from 




Mark xii. 40 ; Luke xx. 47. 


2. 


15. 


3. " 


16-22. 


4. " 


" 23-24= Luke xi. 42. 


5- " 


25-26= " 37-41. 


6. " 


27-28= " 44. 


> 7. " 


29-33= " 47-48. 



Epilogue. J 



Matt, xxiii. 



34-36= Luke xi. 49-51. 
37-39= " xiii. 31-35. 



The Messianic material is limited to the Epilogue and 
the first Woe, which in Luke is interposed between the 
two parts of the Epilogue of Matthew. We follow the 
order of Luke. 



LuKExi. 49-51. 

Therefore also said the Wis- 
dom of God, I will send unto 
them prophets and apostles ; 
and some of them they shall 
kill and persecute ; that the 
blood of all the prophets, which 
was shed from the foundation 
of the world, may be required 
of this generation : from the 
blood of Abel unto the blood of 



Matt, xxiii. 34-36. 

Therefore, behold, I send 
unto you prophets, and wise 
men, and scribes : some of them 
shall ye kill and crucify ; and 
some of them shall ye scourge 
in your synagogues, and perse- 
cute from city to city : that upon 
you may come all the righteous 
blood shed on the earth, from 
the blood of Abel the righteous 



OF MATTHEW 



213 



Zachariah, who perished be- 
tween the altar and the sanc- 
tuary. Yea, I say unto you, 
it shall be required of this gen- 
eration. 



Luke xi. 52. 

Woe unto you lawyers ! for 
ye took away the key of knowl- 
edge : ye entered not in your- 
selves, and them that were en- 
tering in ye hindered. 



unto the blood of Zachariah 
son of Barachiah, whom ye slew 
between the sanctuary and the 
altar. Verily I say unto you, 
All these things shall come up- 
on this generation. 

Matt, xxiii. 13. 

But woe unto you, scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites ! be- 
cause ye shut the kingdom of 
heaven against men : for ye en- 
ter not in yourselves, neither 
suffer ye them that are entering 
in to enter. 



The first part of the Epilogue of Matthew, which is 
really in Luke a part of the woe upon the Pharisee law- 
yers, is connected by Luke with a feast at which Jesus was 
invited, and where the Pharisees sought to entrap him. 
He charges them with a guilt greater than that of 
their fathers, who rejected and slew the prophets. This 
rejection of the prophets is enforced by a citation which 
Jesus makes from a lost writing entitled " The Wisdom of 
God," which was probably another example of the Wisdom 
Literature of the Pseudepigrapha. This rejection was 
a blood-red record of guilt from Abel to Zechariah. All 
has come down as an inheritance of woe to the genera- 
tion that has rejected the Baptist and is about to reject 
the Messiah and put him to death. But the full meas- 
ure of iniquity has been reached. It will all be required 
of this generation in the judgment that is impending 
over them. The general character of this warning of 
impending judgment favors its earlier date. 

The first woe of Matthew, which is the last woe of 
Luke, represents the Pharisees as interposing themselves 
between the entrance to the kingdom, and those who 
have accepted the Messiah's invitation and are entering 



214 



THE MESSIAH 



I 



it. Luke represents them as lawyers. They themselves 
will not enter, and they will not permit others to enter. 
The kingdom is here again conceived as present, with 
gates open to those who accept the invitation of the 
gospel. 

The second part of the Epilogue of Matthew is given 
at a later date in Luke, who connects it with a warn- 
ing against Herod given by the Pharisees while he was 
on his way to Jerusalem. 



Luke xiii. 31-35. 

In that very hour there came 
certain Pharisees, saying to 
him, Get thee out, and go 
hence : for Herod would fain 
kill thee. And he said unto 
them, Go and say to that fox, 
Behold, I cast out demons and 
perform cures to-day and to- 
morrow, and the third day I 
am perfected. Howbeit I must 
go on my way to-day and to- 
morrow and the day following : 
for it cannot be that a prophet 
perish out of Jerusalem. O 
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kill- 
eth the prophets, and stoneth 
them that are sent unto her ! 
how often would I have gath- 
ered thy children together, even 
as a hen gathereth her own 
brood under her wings, and ye 
would not ! Behold, your house 
is left unto you desolate : and I 
say unto you, Ye shall not see 
me, until ye shall say, Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name 
of the Lord. 



Matt, xxiii. 37-39. 



O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that 
killeth the prophets, and ston- 
eth them that are sent unto 
her! how often would I have 
gathered thy children together, 
even as a hen gathereth her 
chickens under her wings, and 
ye would not ! Behold, your 
house is left unto you desolate. 
For I say unto you, Ye shall 
not see me henceforth, till ye 
shall say, Blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the 
Lord. 



Jesus in enigmatic language predicts that he has three 
days to work, and on the third day he will be perfected, 
and his work will be accomplished. It cannot be that 
he thinks of three actual days of labor to be followed by 



OF MATTHEW 215 

his departure, but of a brief period which was to close 
with his passion in Jerusalem. 1 He had nothing to fear 
from Herod in Galilee either as to time or place ; for his 
time was not yet complete, and he was not in the place 
where he was to die. This thought occasions the lament 
over Jerusalem. The Messiah would gladly have taken 
the children of his people under the wings of his protec- 
tion, but they refused to come to him. The time is 
well-nigh elapsed. Their doom is sure. Their home, 
their temple, the symbol and pledge of the divine pro- 
tection, is to be destroyed ; and they will no more see 
Jesus until he comes with such evidence of glory and 
power that they will pronounce him blessed. It is evi- 
dent that this passage, even in Luke, cannot refer to his 
subsequent entry into Jerusalem ; for the context has in 
mind the death of Jesus and the desolation of the tem- 
ple ; and this advent must be subsequent to these events. 
It is the Messiah's Advent in judgment and in glory, 
which we have seen in so many passages. 8 

THE HEAD OF THE CORNER. 

§ 42. The Pharisees reject the Messiah, the corner-stone 
of the kingdom, and refuse the invitation to the marriage 
feast. The kingdom zvill be taken from them and given 
to others. Publicans and sinners accept the Messiah's in- 
vitation, enter the kingdom, and are welcomed and honored 
guests. The corner-stone will destroy all who come in col- 
lision with it, and will marvellously beco?ne the head of 
the corner. 

Matthew gives two parables of Jesus and attaches them 
to his ministry in Jerusalem, in the closing week. It 



1 Three days was the time of the abode in the grave. See p. 95. 
a See pp. 99, 127, 153. 



I\ 



216 THE MESSIAH 

matters little whether they were uttered at this time or 
not. They have no parallel in the Synoptists, and may 
have been derived from another source than the Logia. 
The first of these is the parable of the marriage feast ; the 
second, the parable of the two sons. It is sufficient to 
refer to the Messianic elements in these parables. 

In the parable of the marriage feast, 1 those who have 
been invited to the marriage of the king's son, reject and 
slay the messengers. The king sends his armies, de- 
stroys the murderers and burns their city. This parable 
sets forth the guilt of the Pharisees and their predeces- 
sors in rejecting and slaying the prophets, and predicts 
their ruin in the burning of Jerusalem. But the mar- 
riage will not lack guests. The servants, the disciples of 
Jesus, go out into the highways andiiedges, to the poor, 
the suffering, the outcast, the publicans and sinners ; 
and bring them in, and the wedding is filled with guests. 
The wedding will not lack decorum and dignity even 
with these guests. They are provided with appropriate 
garments, and only the churl will refuse to put them 
on. There are some among these who will share the 
fate of the Pharisees ; but the larger proportion of them 
will not only come to the feast, but will be so provided 
for that they will be the most suitable guests. This 
parable clearly teaches the rejection of the Pharisees and 
the ruin of Jerusalem, but also the preaching of the 
gospel and the gathering in of a multitude who will 
abide the judgment. 

The parable of the two sons presents the other side 
of the case. 2 The Pharisees promise to enter the king- 
dom, but enter it not. They profess to prepare for the 
kingdom by legal righteousness, and to be eager for the 

1 xxii. 1-14. 2 xxi. 28-32. 



OF iMATTHEW 217 

coming of the kingdom and for entrance into it. But 
when the kingdom comes and the Messiah invites them, 
they decline his invitation. The publicans and sinners, 
on the other hand, refuse to enter the kingdom, but 
subsequently repent and enter. They refuse the invita- 
tion because they refuse to prepare themselves for the 
kingdom by righteousness ; they persist in evil lives, 
they give no promise of repentance. But when the 
Messiah's invitation comes to them, they repent and 
precede the Pharisees into the kingdom. This teaches 
that the kingdom is present, and that its gates are open 
to those who will accept the invitation of the gospel of 
the kingdom. 

Between these two parables Matthew inserts the para- 
ble of the wicked husbandmen which we have already 
seen and studied in the gospel of Mark. 1 It is probable, 
that this parable was in both sources, all the more that 
Matthew and Luke give additional material to that of 
Mark. It is doubtful whether this material comes from 
the Logia. At all events it is in the poetic form which is 
usual in the Logia. Matthew gives it more completely : 

Did ye never read in the Scriptures, 2 

The stone which the builders rejected, 

The same was made the head of the corner : 

This was from the Lord, 

And it is marvellous in our eyes? 

Therefore say I unto you, 3 

The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, 

And shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 

Every one that 4 falleth on that stone will be broken to pieces : 

But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust. 

(Matthew xxi. 42-44; Luke xx. 17, 18.) 

1 See p. 116. 2 Luke substitutes " What then is this that is written." 

3 Luke omits lines 4-S. 

* Matthew gives " And he that falleth on this stone." But these two lines are 
bracketed by Westcott and Hort. 



218 THE MESSIAH 

Jesus, the corner-stone of the kingdom, is to be reject- 
ed by the rulers of Israel ; but the kingdom will be taken 
from them and given to other rulers, who will be fruit- 
ful in good works. The corner-stone will then be made 
the head of the corner. But, as a living stone, it will 
fall on the enemies and scatter them as dust ; or it will 
break in pieces all who stumble and fall on it. All the 
enemies of the kingdom of God will eventually be 
destroyed. 

WATCHING. 

§ 43. The Son of Man may delay his coming. It may 
not be for a long time. Great patience and watchfulness 
will be required. When he comes he will reward the 
faithful. 

Matthew appends to the great apocalypse of Jesus 1 
several parables and a judgment scene, some of which 
we have already considered in another connection. 3 
Some of these parables are given by Luke at an earlier 
period and in better connections. But the topical ar- 
rangement of Matthew is more suited to our present 
purpose. 

It is doubtful whether Luke xii. 35-38 is another form 
of the parable of the virgins in Matthew xxv. 1— 1 3. 
Critics differ in their opinion. Whatever the case may 
be, there are so many differences that it seems best not 
to place them in parallelism, but to let the richer para- 
ble of Matthew follow the simpler parable of Luke. 
There can be no doubt, however, that Matthew xxiv. 45- 
51 is parallel with Luke xii. 41-46, and that the order of 
topics in Luke is preferable. Luke's parable is as follows : 



See Chap. IV. a See p. 164. 



OF MATTHEW 219 

Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; and 
be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he 
shall return from the marriage feast ; that, when he cometh and 
knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. Blessed are 
those servants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watch- 
ing : verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make 
them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. And if 
he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find 
them so, blessed are those servants. (Luke xii. 35-38.) 

This parable teaches the duty of waiting and watch- 
ing for the Advent, without any hint as to the time. It 
also sets forth the great rewards that will be given to 
those servants who are ready when the Lord returns. 
Matthew's parable is much fuller. 

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, 
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the fool- 
ish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them : but the 
wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the 
bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But at mid- 
night there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom ! Come ye forth to 
meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their 
lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil ; 
for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, 
Perad venture there will not be enough for us and you : go ye 
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they 
went away to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they that were 
ready went in with him to the marriage feast : and the door was 
shut. Afterward come also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, 
open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I 
know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor 
the hour. (Matthew xxv. 1— 13.) 

This parable has the same essential idea as the one 
just considered, but it distinguishes two classes of vir- 
gins, the one waiting and watching, ready for the bride- 
groom, the other unready. The element of time is in- 



220 THE MESSIAH 

troduced into this parable. The advent tarries, is de- 
layed, it is not till midnight. The parable concludes 
with the rewards of the wise virgins, but lays great stress 
upon the exclusion of the foolish virgins from the mar- 
riage feast. It enforces the exhortation to watchfulness ; 
for the day and the hour of the Advent of the Messiah 
are altogether unknown. 

These two parables are exceedingly appropriate to 
emphasize the duty of being watchful and ready to meet 
the Messiah on his return. They serve to introduce the 
stronger lessons of the parable that follows : 

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in 
what watch J the thief was coming, he would have watched, and 
would not have suffered 2 his house to be broken through. 
Therefore 3 be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not 
the Son of Man cometh. (Matt. xxiv. 43, 44.) 

The teaching of these parables and their introduction, 
is that the kingdom of God is to be the supreme object 
of pursuit. The hearts of men are to be fixed upon it, 
and they are to seek it. Their lamps are to be burning 
and their loins girded as men waiting for the marriage 
procession of the bridegroom, and as the householder 
expecting the thief. The Lord will come unexpectedly 
and reward the faithful servant. The Advent is sure, 
but the time of it uncertain. He may not come in the 
first watch, and his servants may think he delays his com- 
ing. He may not come in the second watch. He may 
wait until the third watch and so try the faith of his 
servants, and test the unfaithful. Blessed are they who 
are faithful till the Advent of the Messiah. 



1 Luke xii. 39 has M hour " for " watch " of Matthew. 

2 Luke xii. 39 has " left " for " suffered " of Matthew. 
44 Therefore " is omitted by Luke xii. 40. 



OF MATTHEW 221 

THE ROYAL JUDGMENT. 

§ 44. The Messiah may be long absent, During his 
absence his servants have sacred trusts, and will be dealt 
with on his return in accordance with their fidelity to 
their trusts and their mercy to the suffering, with whom 
the Messiah identifies himself. The Messiah comes on his 
throne of glory ivith attending angels. A 11 nations are 
assembled for judgment and are separated into two great 
classes. On the right hand are the blessed. These have 
been faithful and merciful. They inherit the kingdom 
and everlasting life. On the left hand are the accursed. 
They have been unfaithful and unmerciful. They are 
doomed to outer darkness, the everlasting fire of Gehenna 
and torment. But there are degrees of guilt. The careless 
and unthinking are beaten with few stripes, the wilful 
transgressor with many stripes. The unmerciful receive 
no mercy. 

Matthew gives the final scene of the royal judgment 
in connection with the Apocalypse of Jesus, and com- 
bines them by parables teaching the lessons of watchful- 
ness and the principles of the judgment. 

We have already considered some of these as appro- 
priate to the previous topics, but others now come into 
view. We shall first consider the parable of the waiting 
servants, which makes the transition. 1 

And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or 
even unto all ? ' 2 And the Lord said. Who then is the faithful 
and wise steward, 3 whom his lord hath set 4 over his house- 



1 Matt. xxiv. 45-51 ; Luke xii. 41-46. 

2 Luke, only, has this historical occasion of the parable. 

3 It is probable that M steward " was the original reading rather than " servant " 
of Matthew. 

4 The aorist of Matthew seems more original than the future of Luke. 



% 



222 THE MESSIAH 

hold, to give them their portion ' of food in due season? Blessed 
is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 
Verily 2 I say unto you, that he will set him overall that he hath. 
But if that servant 3 shall say in his heart, my lord tarrieth ; 4 and 
shall begin to beat the men servants and the maid servants, 5 and 
shall eat and drink, with the drunken ; 6 the lord of that servant 
shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when 
he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his por- 
tion with the unfaithful. 7 (Luke xii. 41-46.) 

Luke's version is fuller and richer and more original 
than Matthew's. Little is said of the wise and faith- 
ful steward. He is approved and exalted to a high 
rank in the household. The parable deals with the 
foolish and unfaithful steward. He prefers evil con- 
duct to the good pleasure of his lord. He presumes 
upon his long absence. He becomes an unmerciful 
tyrant to his fellow servants. At the sudden and unex- 
pected advent he is doomed, is cut asunder, and is 
given his portion with the unfaithful. 

Luke appends to this parable a saying of Jesus which 
seems appropriate here, but which may have been ut- 
tered on another occasion, as Wendt supposes. 8 It mat- 



1 oiKETeia of Matthew and Oepaireia of Luke may be due to difference in trans- 
lation of the original Aramaic word of Jesus, as also rpo^rj of Matthew and 
aiTo/uerpiov of Luke. 

2 The ajxrjv of Matthew is to be preferred to the alr/duq of Luke. 

3 Matthew inserts " evil " before " servant," which is merely explanatory. 

4 Luke inserts " his coming" after " delayeth " for explanation. 
6 Matthew condenses into " his fellow servants." 

6 Matthew's phrase is better here than the three infinitives of Luke. 

7 Matthew gives " hypocrites" instead of " unfaithful," which is not so suited 
to the context and involves a covert application to the Pharisees. The addition 
of "there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth" is not original, but an 
explanation of the portion of the unfaithful. 

8 Lehre Jesu, i., s. 148. Wendt attaches it to Luke xvi. 10-12 in his reconstruc- 
tion of the Logia. 



OF MATTHEW 223 

ters little for our purpose. We shall use it here where 
Luke uses it for lack of a better place : 

And that servant, who knew his lord's will, and made not ready, 
nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes ; 
but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall 
be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is 
given, of him shall much be required : and to whom they 
commit much, of him will they ask the more. (Luke xii. 
47, 48.) 

In Luke it is conceived that there may be two classes 
of unfaithful stewards — one who did not know his lord's 
will and another who did know. They both sin in the 
same way and do things worthy of stripes. The wilful 
transgressor receives many stripes, the ignorant trans- 
gressor few stripes. Of each one is exacted punishment 
in accordance with the trust committed to him. The 
significance of the passage lies in this. The parable has 
in view the Messianic judgment at the End of the Age. 
This difference of punishment, involved between many 
stripes and few, is not a difference of punishment in the 
Middle State after death : it is a difference of degree of 
punishment in the Day of judgment, and in the age that 
follows that judgment in the Final State. How are we 
to conceive these few stripes as compared with the 
many ? In Gehenna, are the stripes few in character, or 
of less degree of punishment, everlasting in duration 
but less intensive in degree of suffering; or less in the 
number of the blows, so that the punishment of the less 
guilty comes to an end before the punishment of the 
more guilty? This opens up a field for speculation 
where we can only say that all everlasting duration is 
subject to such limitations as God in his sovereign re- 
served right may deem best to put upon it. 



i\ 



224 THE MESSIAH 

The parable of the talents 1 enlarges upon the rewards 
and punishments of the servants. It represents that the 
lord is absent a long time. During his absence the ser- 
vants are engaged with their talents, each according to 
his several ability, having difference of trusts. There 
are the same three classes as in the parable of the 
pounds, in Luke. 2 There the trusts are the same ; here 
the trusts are different. There the grades of service in 
the use of the same trust were different. Here the differ- 
ence in grade is in the ability, and in the amount of the 
trusts, but the proportion is the same and the reward 
seems to be the same. The unfaithful servant is very 
much alike in both parables. He is deprived of his trust 
and is punished. 

The parable of the talents represents that he is cast 
into the outer darkness and the weeping and gnashing 
of teeth in Gehenna. This parable is an appropriate 
introduction to the judgment scene that closes the chap- 
ter. But before considering this, it will be best to bring 
into view two other parables of Matthew setting forth 
the principles of the royal judgment. These are the 
parable of the debtors 3 and the parable of the laborers 
in the vineyard. 4 It is doubtful whether they are given 
in their proper historical connection by Matthew. We 
follow his example and use them where they are appro- 
priate to the topic in hand. 

The first of these parables represents the king reckon- 
ing with his servants. There are several scenes. The 
first represents the mercy of the king to his unprofitable 
servant. Thus the king deals with the penitent when 
he admits them into his kingdom of grace. He assigns 
a term of grace and service. The next scene shows the 



1 Matt. xxv. 14-30. 2 Luke xix. 11-27. See p. 249. 

8 Matt, xviii. 21-35. 4 Matt. xx. 1-16. 



OF MATTHEW 225 

miserable man unmerciful to his creditors. The third 
scene gives the complaint of his fellow servants. The 
last scene gives the judgment of the unmerciful man by 
the just monarch. We are taught that the king is mer- 
ciful in his judgment, but only to those who have 
learned from him the law of mercy. The law of mercy 
requires forgiveness to an indefinite extent, even beyond 
the fiftieth time. It is the same doctrine as that taught 
in one of the petitions of the Lord's prayer and in the 
Beatitude of the merciful. The term of grace is to be 
used in becoming godlike. 

The second of these parables sets forth the doctrine 
that the householder gives every one beyond his deserts, 
and that no one should complain at the extent of his 
kindness to others even if it exceed his apparent kind- 
ness to him. It seems unjust to give one servant as 
much for short service as another for much longer ser- 
vice ; but when the whole service is a matter not of debt 
but of favour, the measurement is not by the scales of 
justice, but by the breadths of mercy. And it is in 
accordance with the nature of mercy that it should 
expand to greater breadths when it has to do with 
greater need. The same doctrine is taught in the para- 
ble of the prodigal. 1 

These four parables are the most suitable introduction 
to the judgment scene. 

But when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the 
angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: 
and before him shall be gathered all the nations : and he shall 
separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the 
sheep from the goats : and he shall set the sheep on his right 
hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto 



1 Luke xv. 11-32. 



ft 



226 THE MESSIAH 

them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : 
for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and 
ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; naked, 
and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in 
prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer 
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee ? 
or athirst, and gave thee drink ? And when saw we thee a 
stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee ? And 
when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee ? And 
the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these 
least, ye did it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on 
the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire 
which is prepared for the devil and his angels : for I was an hun- 
gered, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me 
no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked, and 
ye clothed me not ; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an 
hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, 
and did not minister unto thee ? Then shall he answer them, 
saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto 
one of these least, ye did it not unto me. And these shall go 
away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal 
life. (Matthew xxv. 31-46.) 

This is the royal judgment scene. The Messiah is 
enthroned on his glorious throne with the angels minis- 
tering about him. First, he rewards his sheep. They 
receive their inheritance in the kingdom of glory and 
enter into everlasting life. Then he condemns the goats 
and assigns them to everlasting punishment, in the ever- 
lasting fires of Gehenna. The rule of judgment is the 
same that we have found in the parable of the debtors. 
The merciful are rewarded with the inheritance of the 
kingdom, but the unmerciful are cast into Gehenna. 
The judgment is in accordance with works. 



OF MATTHEW 



227 



THE REWARDS OF THE KINGDOM. 

§ 45. The rewards of the kingdom will be in proportion 
to service. The greatest rewards will be seats at the table 
of the Messiah and enthronement with him. 

Matthew and Luke report a sentence of Jesus promis- 
ing rewards to his faithful disciples. Luke gives it its 
historical place in the midst of the discourses at the last 
Passover : 

And there arose also a contention among them, which of them 
is accounted to be greatest. And he said unto them, The kings 
of the Gentiles have lordship over them ; and they that have 
authority over them are called Benefactors. But ye shall not be 
so : but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the 
younger ; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For 
whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth ? 
is not he that sitteth at meat ? but I am in the midst of you as 
he that serveth. (Luke xxii. 24-27.) 

This is introductory to the word that is common to 
the two evangelists. 



Luke xxii. 28-30. 

But ye are they that have 
continued with me in my trials; 
and I appoint unto you a king- 
dom, even as my Father ap- 
pointed unto me, that ye may 
eat and drink at my table in my 
kingdom : and ye shall sit on 
thrones judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel. 



Matt. xix. 28. 

And Jesus said unto them, 
Verily I say unto you that ye 
who have followed me, in the 
regeneration when the Son of 
Man shall sit on the throne of 
his glory, ye also shall sit upon 
twelve thrones, judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel. 



Jesus here teaches his disciples that rewards in the 
kingdom will be proportionate to the magnitude of ser- 
vice. These rewards will be surely gained. Luke reports 
the reward of eating and drinking at the table of the 
Messiah. This was appropriate to the occasion of the 
Lord's Supper. They would have the privilege of the 



I 



228 THE MESSIAH 

royal table in the kingdom. This reward was omitted 
by Matthew as not appropriate to the context of the 
passage in which he used this word of Jesus. Both evan- 
gelists report the second reward, enthronement. Luke's 
report gives no statement of the time except as the time 
of reward after a period of service in the kingdom, and 
accordingly he gives " appoint unto you a kingdom." 
But Matthew gives two very important statements as to 
the time when the apostles would attain these rewards. 
It would be when the Son of Man should sit on the throne 
of his glory. It was not, therefore, to be at the founda- 
tion of the kingdom of grace in this world, or at any 
time during their ministry in the kingdom of grace in 
its period of development and persecution. It was to 
be at the time of the culmination of the kingdom of 
grace in the kingdom of glory. This general statement 
is introduced by the term 1 regeneration, which is a second 
indication as to time. The regeneration here is a general 
regeneration which concerns not merely the individual, 
but the whole body of the redeemed. It is that regenera- 
tion of the world that introduces the kingdom of glory. 
It is the period of transition to the new age of the world 
in which the Messiah will reign on his throne of glory 
over all things. This passage enlarges the scope of the 
doctrine of the kingdom, as it opens our eyes to see be- 
yond the judgment into the glory of the kingdom that 
follows the judgment, in which the apostles share with 
their Lord in a glorious reign. 

THE GREAT COMMISSION. 

§ 46. Jesus rose from the dead and manifested himself 
unto his disciples, giving them the commission to preach 
the gospel to the world and to baptize believers, and prom- 

1 iv 7-7 TzaTitvyEVEaig,. 



OF MATTHEW 

ising them his presence with them until the End of the 
Age. 

The gospel of Matthew reports two manifestations of 
Jesus after his resurrection, (i) He appears to the two 
Marys in the morning at the tomb. They recognize him 
and worship him. He commands them to tell the brethren 
to meet him in Galilee. 1 (2) The eleven disciples meet the 
risen Lord at the aforesaid place on a mountain in 
Galilee and he there gave them their commission. 5 
There is great difficulty in dealing with this commission, 
for it is apparently assigned by the supplement to Mark 3 
and by Luke 4 to Jerusalem. On the whole it is best to 
deal with Matthew and Mark together, and with Luke 
in a separate section. 

Matt, xxviii. 16-20. Mark xvi. 15-18. 

But the eleven disciples went And he said unto them, Go 
into Galilee, unto the mountain ' ye into all the world, and preach 
where Jesus had appointed the gospel to the whole crea- 
them. And when they saw him, 'tion. He that believeth and is 
they worshipped him : but some baptized shall be saved ; but he 
doubted. And Jesus came to that disbelieveth shall be con- 
them and spake unto them, say- demned. And these signs shall 
ing, All authority hath been follow them that believe : in my 
given unto me in heaven and name shall they cast out de- 
on earth. Go ye therefore, and mons ; they shall speak with new 
make disciples of all the na- tongues ; they shall take up ser- 
tions, baptizing them into the pents, and if they drink any 
name of the Father and of the deadly thing, it shall in no wise 
Son and of the Holy Spirit : hurt them ; they shall lay hands 
teaching them to observe all on the sick, and they shall re- 
things whatsoever I commanded cover, 
you : and lo, I am with you 
alway, even unto the End of 
the Age. j 

The commission given by Mark does not belong to 



1 Matthew xxviii. i-io — Mark xvi. 1-8. 2 Matthew xxviii. 16-20. 

3 Mark xvi. 14-18. * Luke xxiv. 36-49. 



I\ 



230 THE MESSIAH 

the original Mark, but is a later appendix to the gospel. 
However, it is a report that comes from an early date. 
It is simpler than the report of Matthew. It gives the 
command to preach the gospel to the whole world, the 
whole creation. This takes a most complete view of the 
universality of the gospel message. It is true that the 
apostles did not understand the extent of their commis- 
sion until a long time afterwards ; but this does not 
show that the commission itself, as given by Jesus, was 
limited to their understanding of it, still less to the land 
of Palestine as Russel argues. 1 The preaching of the 
gospel divides the hearers into two classes, the believing 
and the disbelieving. The former will be saved, the lat- 
ter will be condemned ; for the gospel has judgment in 
itself. We are not to suppose that the condemnation 
here refers to the final condemnation of the day of judg- 
ment, as the " damned " of the A. V. might seem to 
suggest ; any more than that the salvation, spoken of 
here, is postponed till doomsday ; but the antithesis is 
between a salvation which is received by believing and 
being baptized — that is, the salvation which is enjoyed 
in the kingdom of grace ; and a condemnation which 
comes whenever and wherever the gospel is rejected, 
namely, a condemnation which abides in this life upon 
all who do not believe, are not baptized, and do not by 
faith and baptism become incorporated into the kingdom 
of grace. The commission in Mark lays stress upon the 
miracle-working that would attend the ministry of the 
apostles. 

The report of Matthew enlarges the commission, 
(i) They are to make disciples of all nations. This im- 
plies their organization into a body of disciples, a 



1 Parousia, p. 121. 



OF MATTHEW 231 

kingdom, or Church. (2) They are to baptize them into 
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 
This baptism into the name of the Son, the Messiah, as 
well as into the name of God the Father and of the 
Spirit of God, implies the organization of a separate 
body of the baptized as the kingdom of the Messiah. 
(3) They are to teach all the commands of the Messiah. 
The new kingdom is to be an organized body, and is 
therefore to have its rules and laws. 

In place of the promise of miracle-working given by 
Mark, a more important promise is given by Matthew ; 
namely, the abiding presence of the Messiah himself, 
with the apostles, in the exercise of their ministry. We 
have already studied this abiding presence as promised 
by Jesus to those who assemble in his name and agree in 
supplication. 1 This presence of Jesus is the spiritual, dy- 
namic presence of the Messiah. It is to be distinguished 
from the presence for the forty days subsequent to the 
resurrection enjoyed by the apostles, as well as from the 
presence to establish the kingdom in the world, and also 
from the presence at the Advent for judgment at the 
End of the Age. This latter is not explicitly referred 
to in the commission, but it is implied in the term " End 
of the Age," which is elsewhere connected with the Ad- 
vent to judgment. 2 The spiritual presence of the Mes- 
siah is to abide with the apostles in their ministry until 
the Age has been completed and the Advent for judg- 
ment has arrived. This commission was given to the 
eleven apostles, but it was given them for a world-wide 
ministry and a world-long ministry. The commission 
does not in itself contemplate a ministry other than 
apostolic. It could not do so without transcending the 



1 See p. 195. a See p. 138. 



232 THE MESSIAH 

sphere of prophecy and entering into the field of history, 
If in the development of the world-wide and world-long 
ministry it would appear that the apostles must have 
successors to carry on their ministry and complete it, the 
Messiah, whose presence was promised to them, would 
provide for whatever emergency might arise. 



I\ 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE MESSIAH OF LUKE. 



We have already considered in the previous chapters 
the larger portion of the material that we would treat 
under this head, if we had to discuss the Messiah of 
Luke alone. We have found that Luke has used the 
Messianic material of Mark as his principal source. This 
material is not original with Luke, it does not belong to 
him. He merely used it and edited it for the purposes 
of his narrative. All of this material was therefore con- 
sidered in Chapters III. and IV. under the Messiah of 
Mark. We have also seen that Luke used the Messianic 
idea of the Aramaic Logia of Matthew. He used the 
material and put it in a different form from that in 
which it appears in Matthew. He used it for the pur- 
pose of his narrative. But the material was not original 
to Luke. It was Matthew's. Accordingly we have 
treated it in Chapter V. in the Messiah of Matthew. 
We have left, therefore, only that portion of the Mes- 
sianic idea of Luke which he derived from other sources 
than Mark and the Aramaic Matthew. This is not 
great in amount, but it is of considerable importance. 

THE SON OF GOD. 
§ 47. Jesus in boyhood was conscious of his Messianic 
calling as the Son of God, and he made it his aim to do 
his Father s will. As he grew in years, he greiv in his ap- 

(233) 



234 TH E MESSIAH 

prehension of his Messianic calling and in devotion to 
it. 

The story of the boyhood of Jesus reported by Luke 
alone, is of great importance for the development of the 
Messianic consciousness of Jesus. 

And the child grew, and waxed strong, filled with wisdom : 
and the grace of God was upon him. And his parents went 
every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover. And when 
he was twelve years old, they went up after the custom of the 
feast ; and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were return- 
ing, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and his parents 
knew it not ; but supposing him to be in the company, they went 
a day's journey ; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk 
and acquaintance : and when they found him not, they returned 
to Jerusalem, seeking for him. And it came to pass, after three 
days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the 
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions : and all 
that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his an- 
swers. And when they saw him, they were astonished : and his 
mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us*C 
behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said 
unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I 
must be about my Father's business? And they understood not 
the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with 
them, and came to Nazareth ; and he was subject unto them : and 
his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus ad- 
vanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 
(Luke ii. 40-52.) 

There is some difference of opinion as to the render- 
ing and interpretation of the words of Jesus in this 
story. The A. V. renders " about my Father s business" 
which then is to be interpreted as follows. Jesus claims 
that he is the son of God, and that he must be about 
the work of his Father. This cannot mean that he was 
a child of God in the sense that every true Christian is 
a child of God ; because that doctrine was revealed for 



OF LUKE 235 

the first time by Jesus himself subsequent to this event, 
and it is based on the doctrine of his Messiahship. It 
could hardly mean that he was the son of God in the 
theological sense as the second person of the Trinity; 
for that doctrine was not yet revealed, and there is 
nothing in the context to suggest it. It means that 
Jesus was the Son of God as the Messiah, for the term 
Son of God is a well-known name of the Messiah alter- 
nating with the son of David. 1 Jesus here at twelve 
years of age makes it known to his parents that he is 
assured of his Messianic calling. They knew it, accord- 
ing to the stories of the infancy of Jesus reported by 
Luke, through the testimonies they had received. * At 
the legal age for his appearance in the temple according 
to the traditional Jewish custom, he likewise was con- 
scious of his Messiahship. As the Messiah he had the 
Father's work to do, and what should his parents find 
him doing but that work. It was for the present learn- 
ing from the teachers of Israel what they had to give 
him. 

The R. V., however, renders " in my Father s house." 
This rendering does npt change the interpretation so far 
as his Messiahship is concerned. In either case he is 
the Messianic Son of God. But it modifies the interpre- 
tation as to the work. According to this translation he 
points to the place of his activity rather than to his 
work. What place was so appropriate to the Messiah 
as the temple of God, where the ministry of Israel cen- 
tred? This rendering is not suited to the context or 
the circumstances. For Jesus asks his parents why they 
sought him, and not why they did not seek him there. 
It was not a question of place, but a question of seeking 

I See pp. 46, 76. « See pp. 45, seq. 



236 THE MESSIAH 

him at all, when they ought to have had confidence in 
him that he was about his Father's work, wherever he 
might be. Furthermore, the temple was the centre of 
the priestly ministry. It was also the centre of the Rab- 
binical education. But it was not on that account the 
place where a prophet or the Messiah would necessarily 
carry on his ministry. In fact the ministry of the proph- 
ets was usually apart from the temple. The subse- 
quent ministry of John the forerunner was in the wil- 
derness of Judaea and in the valley of the Jordan. The 
ministry of Jesus was, according to Luke, chiefly in Gali- 
lee and Perea. Why then such a stress on the temple 
here, so different from the method of Jesus elsewhere in 
Luke? The work of the Father in heaven, the business 
the Messiah had to do for the Father : that was the ideal 
that was now pressing upon the mind of the boy Jesus 
and making him such a wonderful pupil of the doctors 
of the law. 



THE REJECTED PROPHET. 

§ 48. Jesus declares himself to be the prophet of the 
great prophecy of the exile and is rejected by his townsmen 
of Nazareth. 

Jesus early in his ministry delivers a discourse in the 
synagogue at Nazareth, which is preserved only in the 
gospel of Luke. In this he definitely claims to be the 
gentle preacher described in the great prophecy of the 
exile. 1 

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up : 
and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the 

1 Isa. lxi. 



OF LUKE 237 

Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was delivered 
unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the 
book, and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of 
the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good 
tidings to the poor: he hath sent me to proclaim release to the 
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty 
them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the 
Lord. 1 And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, 
and sat down : and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fas- 
tened on him. And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this 
scripture been fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, 
and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his 
mouth. (Luke iv. 16-22.) 

This passage from the great prophet of the exile 2 
graphically describes the work of Jesus. He had been 
anointed at his baptism for his public ministry when the 
divine Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove to 
abide with him. 3 His ministry was the preaching of the 
gospel of the kingdom to the poor, and the doing mira- 
cles of mercy. Thus Jesus describes his own ministry, 
and these he gave as his credentials to the messenger of 
John the Baptist. 4 The acceptable year of the Lord 
which he proclaimed, was the year of the Advent, the 
establishment of the kingdom of God by the Messiah. 
Rightly, therefore, Jesus tells the men of Nazareth, 
" To-day hath this Scripture been fulfilled in your cars." 



1 Isa. lxi. 1-2. See Briggs' Messianic Prothecy, p. 370 seq. The text has im- 
portant variations from the LXX. as well as from the Hebrew, due doubtless to 
an Aramaic Targum used by Jesus in the synagogue. The people could not 
understand the original Hebrew. The passage was iirst read in Hebrew and 
then translated into Aramaic. There was a common traditional rendering 
which was followed and which is translated into Greek here. 

9 Isa. lxi. 1-3. 

' See p. 75. 

* See p. 176. 



i\ 



238 THE MESSIAH 

THE GUILT OF REJECTING THE GOSPEL. 

§ 49. The seventy were commissioned to preach the near- 
ness of the kingdom. It will be more tolerable for Sodom 
and the ancient cities than for those who reject the gospel. 
The Holy Spirit will guide the disciples in their ministry, 
and they will be successful notwithstanding persecution. 
Even Satan will fall as lightning from heaven. All 
things have been given by the Father into the hands of the 
Messiah who will rtveal the Father to babes. The Mes- 
siah will acknowledge in the judgment all who confess 
him y and will deny those who reject him. 

The commission of the seventy and their return, with 
its mingled success and failure, give occasion for the 
discourse of Jesus in which he sets forth the ministry of 
the gospel and the great guilt of rejecting it. 

The report of the mission of the seventy is given only 
by Luke. But Matthew gives so much of it in connec- 
tion with the mission of the Twelve and in the subse- 
quent discourses that it is necessary to compare the two 
reports and, so far as possible, ascertain the original say- 
ings of Jesus. 

Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and 
sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, 
whither he himself was about to come. And he said unto them, 

(Luke x. 1.) 
The harvest is plenteous, (Luke x. 2, 3.) 
But the laborers are few : 
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 
That he send forth laborers into his harvest. 1 
Go your ways : behold, I send you forth ■ 



1 These four lines are given by Luke here. Matt. ix. 37, 38, gives them as a 
prelude to the call of the Twelve. 

2 Matt. x. 160, abbreviates by leaving off vxdyeTe of Luke : it is graphic and 
doubUess original. 



OF LUKE 239 

As lambs in the midst of wolves : ' 

Be ye therefore wise as serpents, (Matt. x. 16 c, d) 

And harmless as doves. 2 

Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes ; (Luke x. 4.) 

And salute no man on the way. 3 

And into whatsoever house ye shall enter, 

(Luke x. 5, 6.) 
First say, Peace to this house. 4 
And if a son of peace be there, 5 
Your peace shall rest upon him : 6 
But if it be not worthy, (Matt. x. 13 .c, d.) 
Your peace shall turn to you again. 7 
And in that same house remain, (Luke x. 7—1 1.) 
Eating and drinking such things as they give : 
For the labourer is worthy of his hire. 
Go not from house to house. 8 
And into whatsoever city ye enter, 
And they receive you, 
Eat such things as are set before you : 
And heal the sick that are therein, 
And say unto them, 

The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 
But into whatsoever city ye shall enter, 
And they receive you not, 
Go out into the streets thereof and say, 
Even the dust which cleaveth on us from your city, 



1 In Luke, verse 3*, "lambs" is preferable to the "sheep" of Matt., verse 
j6a. 

2 These two lines only in Matthew. 

3 These two lines in Luke. But see Matt. x. 9, 10, p. 183. 

* These two lines of Luke have been contracted in Matt., verse 12. 
» This orientalism of Luke has been weakened into 7) oinia a^la in Matthew 
13a, possibly in antithesis to verse 13c. 

6 Matthew, verse XjJ, gives kWaru for eTravaTar/cerat of Luke. 

7 Luke, verse 6c, is evidently a contraction of two lines in antithesis to the pre- 
vious couplet. We use Matthew's couplet for lack of a better, save tha* for 
consistency we use the avanafixpei of Luke in preference to the ernorpacp/'/ru of 
Matthew. 

8 These four lines are given only by Luke. 



240 THE MESSIAH 

That which cleaveth to our feet we do wipe off against 

you i 1 
Howbeit know this, 

That the kingdom of God is come nigh. 
Verily I say unto you, 2 (Matt. x. 15.) 
It will be more tolerable in that day 
For the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city. 3 
Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! 4 (Luke x. 13.) 
Woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! 
For if in Tyre and Sidon had been done, 
The mighty works which were done in you, 
Long ago would they have repented, 
Sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 
Howbeit I say unto you, 5 (Matt. xi. 22a.) 
It will be more tolerable in the judgment, 6 

(Luke x. 14, 15.) 
For Tyre and Sidon than for you. 1 
And thou, Capernaum, 
Shalt thou be exalted unto heaven ? 
Thou shalt be brought down unto Hades. 8 



1 The best MSS. followed by the R. V. give elg rovg tt66cl<; before the verb. 
It is impossible to attach this to the previous line. It makes it too long. It is 
needed with the verb to make up the couplet. I render it as I think it stood 
originally in the Aramaic. The translation into Greek has here, and not unfre- 
quently elsewhere, obscured the poetry and made a single sentence out of the 
two of the original poetry. 

2 Matthew's complete line, verse 150, is preferable to the shortened phrase of 
Luke, verse 120. 

a The fuller " land of Sodom and Gomorrah " of Matthew is preferable to the 
shortened " Sodom" of Luke, verse 12^. The arrangement of words differs in 
the evangelists. I arrange them as the parallelism of the poetry would probably 
be in the original. It is doubtful whether "that day " of Luke, referring to the 
day of the kingdom, is to be preferred to " day of judgment " of Matthew. 

4 Matthew gives an explanatory statement here. 

" Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were 
done because they repented not." (xi. 20.) 

8 Matthew gives a complete line; Luke, verse 14a, only tt^v. 

6 It is probable that "judgment" of Luke, verse 14*, is to be preferred to 
" day of judgment" of Matthew. See above note ( 3 ). 

7 There is a remarkable closeness in agreement between the evangelists in these 
nine lines. 

8 Matthew, verse 23, is the same in these three lines. 



OF LUKE 241 

For if in Sodom had been done, (Matt. xi. 23^, 24.) 

The mighty works which were done in thee, 

It would have remained until this day. 

Howbeit I say unto you, 

It will be more tolerable in the judgment, 1 

For the land of Sodom than for thee. 2 

He that receiveth you receiveth me, 3 (Matt. x. 40a.) 

And he that rejecteth you rejecteth me ; (Luke x. 16&) 

And he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me, 

(Matt. x. 40&) 
And he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me. 4 

(Luke x. 16c.) 
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet 
Shall receive a prophet's reward ; (Matt. x. 41, 42.) 

And he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a 

righteous man 
Shall receive a righteous man's reward. 
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these 

little ones 
A cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, 
Verily I say unto you, 
He shall in no wise lose his reward. 5 

It is uncertain whether the sentences peculiar to 
Matthew have not been added because of the simi- 
larity of topic from a different occasion. But if this be 
so we have no means of determining the occasion when 
they were delivered. The evangelist gives them an ap- 
propriate topical place and we may consider them here. 

This section of the discourse pronounces woes upon 
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, the favoured cities 
of Palestine, for their rejection of the Messiah, and de- 



1 Luke has not this line, but consistency requires that " judgment" should be 
here for the " day of judgment " which Matthew uses throughout. 

3 These six lines are given only by Matthew. 

3 The "receiveth " of Matthew is more suited to the context than the " heareth" 
of Luke, verse 16a. 

* Luke, verse i6£, r, has lines 2 and 4 : Matthew x. 40, lines 1 and 3. 

5 These eight lines are given only by Matthew. 



242 THE MESSIAH 

clares that it will be more tolerable for Tyre, Sidon, and 
Sodom in the judgment day than for them. There are 
degrees of guilt and of condemnation even in the final 
Messianic judgment. The worst guilt is the guilt of 
rejecting the gospel. 

The Seventy go forth with this commission, knowing 
that they bear with them the presence of the Messiah 
and the power of God. Those who reject them reject 
the Messiah and also reject the God of Israel. 

Luke alone gives an account of the return of the Sev- 
enty and their joy in their victory over the demons. 
This rejoices the heart of Jesus, and he sees before him 
his great enemy Satan, the prince of the demons, no 
longer in his authority over the host of evil, but falling 
like a thunderbolt from heaven. 

And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the 
demons are subject unto us in thy name. And he said unto them, 
I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. Behold, I have 
given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and 
over all the power of the enemy : and nothing shall in any wise 
hurt you. Howbeit in this rejoice not, that the spirits are sub- 
ject unto you ; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. 

(Luke x. 17-20.) 

Jesus here thinks of Satan as having access to heaven ; l 
but that privilege is about to be taken from him. He 
is to be defeated and cast down from heaven. The suc- 
cess of his ministers rejoices the Messiah. Luke and 
Matthew give essentially the same additional sayings of 
Jesus in this connection. 2 

In that same hour Jesus said, 3 
I thank thee, O Father, 
1 So Job i.-ii. 2 Matthew xi. 25-27 ; Luke x. 21, 22. 

* Luke inserts, according to his conception of the Holy Spirit abiding with 
Jesus, " he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and " before " said " Matthew prefixes 
"answered." Matthew uses "season" for the more graphic "hour "of the 
original as given in Luke. 



OF LUKE 243 

Lord of heaven and earth, 

That thou didst hide these things from the wise and 

understanding, 
And didst reveal them unto babes : 
Yea, Father, 

For so it was well pleasing in thy sight. 
All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: 
And no one knoweth the Son, 1 save the Father; 
Neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, 
And he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him. 

In this passage the Messiah tells his disciples that the 
Father had given all things into his hands. The Father 
can only be known through the revelation made of him 
by the Son. The Son is the revealer of the Father. 
The wise and understanding, the scribes and Pharisees, 
do not understand this. But the babes, who desire to 
learn, receive the revelation of the Father through the 
Son. 

Jesus is here thinking of his sonship as the Messianic 
king ; but he advances in his consciousness of sonship 
far beyond anything given in the Old Testament proph- 
ecy as to the Son of God, the king. He conceives of an 
intimacy with God which is unique, and which has to do 
not only with the dominion of the king and the revela- 
tion by the prophet, but also with a personal acquaint- 
ance with God in this relation of sonship, which is the 
synthesis of prophecy and royalty in a more fundamental 
personal relation. 2 

The day Jong waited for by the prophets and kings of 
the Old Testament has come. The Messiah has ap- 



1 The reading of Matthew is simpler and to be preferred. Luke's riq ionv 
6 vibg ; rig konv 6 Tzari/p — limits and explains the meaning of Jesus here. 

2 Wendt, Lehre Jesu, ii., s. 429 ; Beyschlag, Neutestamentliche Theologie % 
L, s. 75. 



244: THE MESSIAH 

peared, to be rejected by the sages of Israel, but to be 
received by the babes. 

And turning to the disciples, he said privately, 
Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see : 
For I say unto you, that many prophets and kings desired, 
To see the things which ye see, and saw them not ; 
And to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not. 1 

(Luke x. 23, 24) 

Luke has used this saying here because it was appro- 
priate to his topic, and we may do the same. It is a 
brief but strong statement of the exceeding great privi- 
leges of the Messianic age and of the presence of the 
Messiah. The humblest hearers of the Messiah were to 
be envied by prophets and kings of the old dispensation. 

THE INVISIBLE KINGDOM. 

§ 50. The kingdom came without being observed. It 
was already among the people of Israel in the times of 
Jesus, in the Messiah and his disciples. 

The gospel of Luke gives a discourse of Jesus that 
emphasizes the inner spiritual nature of the kingdom 
with more plainness than any we have found in Mark or 
Matthew, and distinguishes a kingdom as actually pres- 
ent during the ministry of the Lord himself. 

And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God 
cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God 
cometh not with observation : neither shall they say, Lo, here ! 
or There ! for lo, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. 

(Luke xvii. 20, 21.) 

This passage teaches the Pharisees that the kingdom 



1 Matt. xiii. 16-17 gives essentially these words on another occasion in con- 
nection with the parable of the sower. 



OF LUKE 245 

of God comes without those external, visible, and extra- 
ordinary signs which they were expecting and craving. 
It was not a kingdom to be seen or to be detected by 
the closest external watching and scrutiny. In its origin 
and in its progress it would be invisible. The invisibil- 
ity of the kingdom is brought out in the contrast of the 
words " in the midst of you." It is thought by many 
that this teaches that the kingdom of God is " within 
you "; that is, in vour hearts, in the secret recesses of 
your spiritual nature. This is in accord with the teach- 
ing of Jesus as to the spiritual nature of his kingdom in 
the parables of the kingdom. But it does not seem ap- 
propriate to the context. Jesus would hardly say to his 
Pharisaic questioners and tempters, " The kingdom of 
God is within you." Prleiderer and Weiffenbach, who 
accept that explanation, think that he was speaking to 
his disciples and not to the Pharisees ; but there is no 
evidence of a change of address. It is better therefore 
to follow the margin of the R. V. and think of the king- 
dom of God as " in the midst of you "; that is, in the un- 
recognized Messianic king and in his believing disciples 
who have entered the kingdom by their childlike faith 
in him. 1 The kingdom was already among them in the 
land of Israel ; in an unorganized condition, it is true, 
because the Messiah had not yet ascended his throne, 
and his apostles had not yet been installed in their 
offices; but the essential elements of the kingdom were 
there in its Messianic king and in the foundations, the 
apostles, upon which it was soon to be built. 



1 See Vincent, Word Studies, I., p. 401, who cites with approval Trench after 
Meyer, " The whole language of the kingdom of heaven being within men, rather 
than men being within the kingdom, is modern." Also Weiss, Bib. Theologie 
N. T., s. 49 ; Wendt, Lehre Jesu, ii. 295 ; Beyschlag, Neutest. Theologie, i., 
s. 48 ; Adeney, Theology 0/ New Test. , p. 23. 



246 



THE MESSIAH 






THE LESSER APOCALYPSE OF JESUS. 

§ 51. The Advent of the Messiah for judgment will be 
like a flash of lightning, as unexpected as the deluge and 
the destruction of Sodom, when there will be a separation of 
the closest relatives. 

The gospel of Matthew ' combines material which is 
separated by Luke and assigned to two different occa- 
sions. It is evident that Luke is correct, for the separa- 
tion makes the discourses much more intelligible, and 
the one becomes a preparation for the other. Mark 
gives only a little bit of the first discourse of Luke and 
agrees with Matthew in combining it with the second. 
The separation enables us to distinguish two apoca- 
lypses of Jesus, the lesser and the greater. In both 
of these Jesus builds on the discourses already consid- 
ered and on the Apocalypses of the Old Testament. 



(a) Mark xiii. 21-23. 

And then if any man shall 
say unto you, Lo, here is the 
Messiah ; or Lo, there ; believe 
it not : for there shall arise 
false Messiahs and false proph- 
ets, and shall shew signs and 
wonders, that they may lead 
astray, if possible^ the elect. 
But take ye heed : behold, I 
have told you all things before- 
hand. 3 

(b) Luke xvii. 22-25. 

And he said unto the disci- 
ples, The days will come, when 
ye shall desire to see one of the 



Matt. xxiv. 23-25. 

Then if any man shall say 
unto you, Lo, here is the Mes- 
siah, or Here; believe it not. 
For there shall arise false Mes- 
siahs, and false prophets, and 
shall shew great signs and won- 
ders ; so as to lead astray, if 
possible, even the elect. Be- 
hold, I have told you befoie- 
hand. 



Matt. xxiv. 26, 27. 

If therefore they shall say 
unto you, Behold, he is in the 
wilderness ; go not forth : Be- 



2 It would appear that a is only a variation of b. Mark has attached it to the 
Apocalypse of Jesus. Luke derived his version from the Logia of Matthew. Our 
Matthew then using both sources combines the two versions and uses them both. 



OF LUKE 



247 



days of the Son of Man, and ye 
shall not see it. And they shall 
say to you, Lo, there ! Lo, 
here ! go not away, nor follow- 
after them: for as the lightning, 
when it lighteneth out of the 
one part under the heaven, 
shineth unto the other part 
under heaven ; so shall the 
Son of Man be in his day. 
But first must he suffer many 
things and be rejected of this 
generation. 

Luke xvii. 26-37. 

And as it came to pass in thf 
days of Noah, even so shall it 
be also in the days of the Son 
of Man. They ate, they drank, 
they married, they were given 
in marriage, until the day that 
Noah entered into the ark, and 
the flood came, and destroyed 
them all. Likewise even as it 
came to pass in the days of Lot ; 
they ate, they drank, they 
bought, they sold, they planted, 
they builded ; but in the day 
that Lot went out from Sodom 
it rained* fire and brimstone 
from heaven, and destroyed 
them all : after the same man- 
ner shall it be in the day that 
the Son of Man is revealed. 

In that day, he who shall be 
on the housetop, and his goods 
in the house, let him not go 
down to take them away : and 
let him that is in the field like- 
wise not return back. Remem- 
ber Lot's wife. Whosoever 
shall seek to gain his life shall 
k>se it: but whosoever shall 
lose his life shall preserve it. 
I say unto you, In that night 
there shall be two men on one 
bed ; the one shall be taken, 
and the other shall be left. 



hold, he is in the inner cham- 
bers ; believe it not. For as 
the lightning cometh forth 
from the east, and is seen even 
unto the west ; so shall be the 
coming of the Son of Man. 



Matt. xxiv. 37-39. 

And as were the days of 
Noah, so shall be the coming 
of the Son of Man. For as in 
those days which were before 
the flood they were eating and 
drinking, marrying and giving 
in marriage, until the day that 
Noah entered into the ark, and 
they knew not until the flood 
came, and took them all away; 
so shall be the coming of the 
Son of Man. 



Matt. xxiv. 40, 41. 

Then shall two men be in the 
field ; one it taken, and one is 
left : two women shall be grind- 



248 THE MESSIAH 



There shall be two women 
grinding together; the one 
shall be taken, and the other 
shall be left. 

And they answering say unto 
him, Where, Lord ? And he 
said unto them, Where the 
body is, thither will the vul- 
tures also be gathered together. 



ing at the mill ; one is taken 
and one is left. 



Matt. xxiv. 28. 

Wheresoever the carcass is, 
there will the vultures be gath- 
ered together. 

The introduction to the discourse, given by Luke 
only, is an appropriate one. It would be omitted from 
necessity in the combination of this apocalypse with the 
other in Matthew and Mark. The Son of Man is soon 
to leave his disciples and remain absent from them for a 
season. In the time of his absence and his expected 
return there will be grave peril from false Messiahs. 
These will, as the false prophets predicted in Deuteron- 
omy, 1 work miracles, so as to deceive even the elect. 
They will appear in the wilderness as Moses and Elias, 
with the claim that they will, in the same manner, lead 
Israel to the conquest of the land. They will appear in 
a secret place in the house as a sort of sanctum sancto- 
rum. The Messiah is not to appear in any such fashion. 
His first advent was in secret, and the kingdom came 
without observation ; but the second Advent is to be of 
an entirely different character. It is to be with obser- 
vation, so that all may see it. It will be like a flash of 
lightning, lighting up the whole face of the heaven. 
In view of such an advent as this the disciples need 
never be deceived. 

The first advent is to end with the sufferings and re- 
jection of the Messiah by the generation to which he 
came. The second Advent is to be an advent in judg- 
ment like the deluge and the destruction of Sodom ; in 
which there will be a selection of the elect and a separa- 



» Deut. xiii. 1-5. 



OF LUKE 249 

tion of the most intimate relatives. And this will be in 
the most open and visible manner, in a blaze of light- 
ning. 

THE SHINING FORTH OF THE KINGDOM. 

§ 52. The kingdom is not immediately to shine forth. 
The king is to go into a far country to take the kingdom 
to himself and to return. Then he will reward the faith- 
ful in accordance with the measure of their fidelity -, and 
destroy the unfaithful. 

Luke gives the historical occasion for the prophecy 
respecting the departure and return of Jesus. He illus- 
trates it by a parable. The parable of the Pounds 1 re- 
sembles the parable of the Talents given by Matthew, 2 
in many respects, so that some critics think they are two 
versions of the same parable. But there are also strik- 
ing differences, which seem to require that they should 
receive different treatment. 

And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, 
because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they supposed 
that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. He said 
therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive 
for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called ten ser- 
vants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, 
Trade ye here with till I come. But his citizens hated him, and 
sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man 
reign over us. And it came to pass, when he was come back 
again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these 
servants, unto whom he had given the money, to be called to 
him, that he might know vvhat they had gained by trading. And 
the first came before him, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made 
ten pounds more. And he said unto him, Well done, thou good 
servant: because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have 

1 six. 11-27. 3 xxv., see p. 224. 



250 THE MESSIAH 

thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, 
Thy pound, Lord, hath made five pounds. And he said unto 
him also, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, say- 
ing, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a 
napkin : for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man : thou 
takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst 
not sow. He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I 
judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou k newest that I am an 
austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I 
did not sow ; then wherefore gavest thou not my money into the 
bank, and I at my coming should have required it with interest ? 
And he said unto them that stood by, Take away from him the 
pound, and give it unto him that hath the ten pounds. And 
they said unto him. Lord, he hath ten pounds. I say unto you, 
that unto every one that hath shall be given ; but from him that 
hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from 
him. Howbeit these mine enemies, which would not that I 
should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. 
(Luke xix. n-27.) 

In this parable Jesus corrects his disciples who had 
the opinion, based on several of his discourses, that the 
kingdom of God was immediately to shine forth. The 
manifestation, or shining forth of the kingdom of glory, 
was not at hand, as they supposed. The kingdom that 
was at hand, that was among them, was a kingdom of 
grace, a kingdom without external marks of observa- 
tion. This distinction the disciples had not yet learned. 
The kingdom of glory was the culmination and resultant 
of the kingdom of grace, as was taught in the parables 
of the kingdom. Jesus here points to the distant future 
for the realization of the kingdom of glory. The king 
is not yet enthroned. He is to go into a far country to 
take to himself the kingdom. There he is to be en- 
throned. This far country, as the subsequent events 
show, is heaven, the presence of the Father, who is to 
enthrone the Messiah at his right hand. But the Mes- 



OF LUKE 251 

siah is to return for judgment. During his absence his 
servants, in his kingdom of grace, have their respective 
trusts. They will be judged at his advent in accordance 
with their fidelity to these trusts. There are two classes 
of subjects that are brought out by the tests of the judg- 
ment, the faithful and the unfaithful. There are also 
two classes of the faithful who receive their rewards in 
proportion to their fidelity and gains. The one unfaith- 
ful and rebellious man represents the rebellious citizens 
who are deprived of all their trusts and slain. 

THE WOES OF JERUSALEM. 

§ 53. Jerusalem will be besieged and utterly destroyed, 
because she did not know the time of her visitation by 
the Messiah. Then will woes come upon women and chil- 
dren so dreadful that they will long for convulsions of 
nature to destroy them. 

Luke gives us a brief saying of Jesus which was 
spoken in connection with his Messianic entry into Jeru- 
salem, when with deep sorrow of heart he utters this 
touching prediction: 

And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, say- 
ing, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things 
which belong unto peace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 
For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall 
cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep 
thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy 
children within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone 
upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visita- 
tion. (Luke xix. 41-44.) 

Looking down upon the temple and the city in all its 
beauty and magnificence from the ridge of Olivet, before 
descending into the valley of the Kedron, Jesus saw, in 



252 THE MESSIAH 

prophetic vision, the city besieged by the Romans, its 
inhabitants shut in on every side, the city captured, the 
people slain, and the city so utterly destroyed that not 
one stone was left in its place. The people had not 
recognized their great opportunity. The Messiah visited 
them to redeem them, and they rejected him- and were 
about to put him to death. The crucifixion of the 
rejected Messiah involved, in a few brief years, the utter 
ruin of Jerusalem. 

A similar lament was made on the way to the cruci- 
fixion. 

And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and 
of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning 
unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but 
weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the 
days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, 
and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never gave 
suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on 
us ; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in 
the green tree, what shall be done in the dry ? (Luke xxiii. 27- 

3i.) 

The lamentations of the women of Jerusalem over the 
sorrow of the Messiah are heralds of still greater lamen- 
tations of these women over their children, their city 
and themselves. All these passages set forth the im- 
pending woes of Jerusalem, when the penalties of the 
rejection of the Messiah would come upon the genera- 
tion that rejected him, so far as this world and this life 
are concerned. 

THE RISEN MESSIAH. 

§ 54. The Christophanies of the resurrection and ascen- 
sion fulfil the predictions of Jesus and prove him to be the 
ever-living Messiah. 

Once during his life, on the Mount of Transfiguration, 



OF LUKE 253 

Jesus let the light of his glory shine forth in Chris- 
tophany to three chosen disciples. In his resurrection 
Christophanies were multiplied. Several of these are 
reported by Luke. 

(i) Jesus manifested himself to two disciples at Em- 
maus. 1 They did not recognize him until he manifested 
himself to them in the breaking of bread. Then he van- 
ished from their sight. 

(2) Jesus also manifested himself to Peter, 2 but no 
details are given with reference to this event. 

(3) Jesus appeared in the evening to the assembled 
disciples, including ten apostles, the two from Emmaus 
and others with them. 9 From the parallel passages it 
would appear that Jesus suddenly manifested himself 
and then suddenly vanished without regard to the ob- 
structions of doors and walls. It is also stated that he 
showed them his flesh and bones, the wounds in his 
hands and feet, and that he ate fish with them, showing 
that it was the same Jesus with the same body that was 
crucified and buried. 

(4) Jesus manifested himself to his disciples over 
against Bethany. Here, having blessed them, he was 
parted from them and carried up into heaven. 4 The 
Appendix to Mark tells us that he was received up into 
heaven and sat down on the right hand of God. 6 Luke 
in the Book of Acts 8 reports that " He was taken up 
and a cloud received him out of their sight." These 
four manifestations of the risen Messiah are only speci- 
mens of many more such manifestations. There are ten 



1 Luke xxiv. 13-35 = Mark xvi. 12, 13. 
8 Luke xxiv. 34 = 1 Cor. xv. 5. 

• Luke xxiv. 33-43 = Mark xvi. 14-18 =John xx. 19-24. 

* Luke xxiv. 50-53. 
6 Mark xvi. 19, 20. 
8 Acts i. 9. 



254 THE MESSIAH 

manifestations recorded in the gospels and epistles. But 
we have no reason to suppose that these exhaust the 
number. For, as Luke tells us, he " shewed himself 
alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto 
them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things 
concerning the kingdom of God." ' These manifesta- 
tions are all Christophanies or shinings forth of Messi- 
anic glory. In them the Messiah gave the sign and evi- 
dence of his Messiahship, a more wonderful sign than 
the descent from heaven in a cloud, or descent from the 
cross that the Pharisees and people demanded of him. 
To this sign he had referred them in the symbol of 
Jonah, 2 and in his predictions of his death and resurrec- 
tion. 3 The rising from the grave and from Hades, the 
living for forty days in the world, manifesting himself 
to his disciples so that they might testify of his resurrec- 
tion, and then ascending to heaven on the clouds — these 
were Christophanies which transcended all the predic- 
tions of the Old Testament prophets, and even the pre- 
dictions of Jesus himself. 

THE POWER FROM ON HIGH. 

§ 55. Jesus explained to his disciples that his life, death, 
resurrection, and ascension were in fulfilment of the Mes- 
sianic ideals of the Old Testament. He referred to the 
advent of the divine Spirit as the time for the inaugura- 
tion of the kingdom in the world ; but warned them that 
the times of the kingdom are exclusively in the authority 
of the Father. 

Jesus before departing from his disciples gave them a 
commission to preach the gospel to all nations. This is 

1 Acts i. 3. 2 See p. 186. 3 See p. 94. 



OF LUKE 255 

more general than that given in Matthew, and it is set 
in the midst of an exposition of the predictions of the 
Old Testament. It gives a final prediction of the 
power that was to come upon them in the advent of the 
Spirit. 

And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake 
unto you, while I was yet with you, how that all things must 
needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the 
prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their 
mind, that they might understand the scriptures ; and he said 
unto them, Thus it is written, that the Messiah should suffer, 
and rise again from the dead the third day ; and that repentance 
and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all 
the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these 
things. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon 
you : but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from 
on high. (Luke xxiv. 44-49.) 

The interpretation of the prophecies of the Old Tes- 
tament by the life of Jesus we shall consider later on. 
We confine ourselves here to the commission and the 
prediction. The commission is to all nations, but it is 
added that the ministry must begin at Jerusalem. Jeru- 
salem is the beginning, but it is only the beginning of a 
world-wide ministry. The gospel call is summed up in 
the two words, repentance and remission of sins. The 
preaching has as its parallel, witnessing, namely, to the 
Messiah and his instruction. Luke adds a very import- 
ant statement, which sheds light upon the commission 
and also upon other predictions of Jesus. The apostles 
were not to begin their ministry at once, but they were 
to wait until they had been clothed with power from on 
high, to enable them to minister. This power is the 
promise of the heavenly Father unto them, and they are 
to wait in Jerusalem for its bestowal. This advent of 
power from on high, to enable them to exercise their 



256 THE MESSIAH 

ministry, is therefore connected with a spiritual advent 
of Jesus himself, who had promised to be with them in 
the exercise of their ministry from the beginning of it 
until the end of the gospel age. 1 

In accordance with the promises of Jesus, the apostles 
anticipate that the kingdom will be established in a very 
short time. After the resurrection of Jesus and immedi- 
ately before his ascension, 

They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, say- 
ing, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel ? 
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times and 
seasons, which the Father hath set within his own authority. 
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon 
you : and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all 
Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 
(Acts i. 6-8.) 

The apostles did not yet understand the doctrine of 
the kingdom or the time of its establishment. They 
could not understand these things until they received 
the endowment of the Holy Spirit, who alone could in- 
terpret the predictions by the events. For this they 
were to wait in Jerusalem, and then, when they had 
been endowed with the Spirit, they would understand 
the doctrine of the Messiah and his kingdom ; at least 
so far as to begin their apostolic ministry. Thus the 
establishment of the kingdom of God is finally referred 
by Jesus definitely to the Pentecostal gift of the Holy 
Spirit. 



i See p. 229. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE MESSIAH OF JOHN. 

The Gospel of John gives us a Messianic ideal that is 
beyond the conceptions of the synoptic evangelists, and 
which may be summed up under the title, the Messiah 
from heaven. We have already studied those few Mes- 
sianic passages of John which are parallel with the 
synoptists. But the great body of the Gospel of John 
stands apart by itself as unique. 1 The conception of the 
Messiah from heaven is more speculative and theological 
than any of the conceptions given in the synoptists. 
There is little preparation for it in them or in the proph- 
ecy of the Old Testament. There are indeed more par- 
allels with it in the pseudepigrapha. 

THE MESSIAH IN GLORY. 

§ 56. Jesus accepts the recognition of his Messiahship by 
his disciples, but declines to exercise his royal authority 
during his earthly ministry. He predicts a second Advent 
when he will be seen surrounded by angels and enthroned 
in glory. 

Jesus was recognized as the Messianic king by his 



1 This chapter abstains from using the Prologue of the Gospel of John and 
also several other portions which clearly give the Messianic idea of John rather 
than of Jesus. These passages will be considered in the volume, The Messiah 0/ 
the Apostles, now in press and soon to be published. 

(257) 



i\ 



258 THE MESSIAH 

disciples, according to the synoptists, on many occasions 
during the progress of his ministry. The transfiguration, 
however, is the occasion on which that recognition first 
becomes clear and definite. The Gospel of John repre- 
sents the earlier groups of the apostles as hearing the 
testimony of the Baptist, and following that testimony 
in the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus accepts 
their testimony and their recognition. From the begin- 
ning, therefore, in the most intimate circle of the apos- 
tles, according to John, there was the understanding be- 
tween the Master and his disciples that he was the Mes- 
sianic king. 

One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was 
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He findeth first his own brother 
Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which 
is, being interpreted, Christ). He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus 
looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John : 
thou shalt be called Cephas (which is, by interpretation, Peter). 
On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he 
findeth Philip : and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me. Now 
Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 
Fhilip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found 
him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, 
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto 
him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith 
unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, 
and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no 
guile! Nathanael saith unto him. Whence knowest thou me? 
Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, 
when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael an- 
swered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God ; thou art King of 
Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto 
thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou 
shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, 
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son 
of Man. (John i. 40-51.) 



OF JOHN 259 

In the last verse Jesus gives a prediction to Nathanael. 
He accepts his recognition that he is the Messianic king, 
the Son of God, of the Davidic promise. But he points 
him to the future for the enthronement. The Messiah 
has come, not as an enthroned king, but as a king whose 
enthronement is in prospect. As David was anointed 
and solemnly set apart to a kingdom whose throne he 
was to obtain only after a period full of uncertainties, 
perils, and sufferings, so was it to be with his son the 
Messiah. The enthronement, however, is not conceived 
after the manner of the kingdoms of the world, or even 
after the model of the kingdom of David, of the history 
and prophecy of the Old Testament. The ministers of 
the Messiah's throne are the angels who ascend and 
descend from heaven to wait upon him. Thus, at the 
outset, in the first of his predictions, according to John, 
the Messiah's throne is a heavenly throne encompassed 
by ministering angels. 

THE SIGN OF THE NEW TEMPLE. 

§ 57. Jesus predicts that the temple will be destroyed 
and that he will raise it up on the third day. 

Jesus, according to the Gospel of John, begins his 
public ministry in Jerusalem at the passover feast by a 
sublime act of cleansing the temple from the traders who 
were defiling its courts. This event is given also by the 
synoptists, but is placed by them at the last passover of 
Jesus. They know of only this one passover feast of 
Jesus during his ministry, and it is thought by Weiss, 
Beyschlag and others, that they, therefore, all depending 
on the original Mark, give it there ; but that it really 
belongs where John has placed it, at the beginning of 
the ministry. And yet it is so appropriate to the course 



260 THE MESSIAH 

of events in its place in the synoptists that many critics 
suppose that John has given it in the wrong place. It 
is improbable that Jesus would have repeated the act. 
But we may leave this question undecided, for the evan- 
gelist John alone gives the prophetic words which con- 
cern us here. The importance of this act of Jesus, 
whenever precisely it occurred, is clear from the fact 
that these prophetic words were cited against him in a 
perverted form by false witnesses at his trial before the 
Sarhedrin. The simplicity of the sign, the lack of ex- 
pUnation at the time, and the fact that neither his disci- 
ples nor the Pharisees could possibly have understood 
its meaning at its utterance, favor the opinion that this 
is the first of the signs that set forth the death and 
resurrection of Jesus. 

The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign 
shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things ? 
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in 
three days I will raise it up. The Jews therefore said, Forty and 
six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in 
three days ? But he spake of the temple of his body. When 
therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered 
that he spake this ; and they believed the scripture, and the word 
which Jesus had said. (John ii. 18-22.) 

In this grand scene in which Jesus displays the wrath 
of the Messiah against the spoilers of the temple, the 
disciples aptly see the zealous servant of the Psalter. 1 
The Jews demand of him a sign of his Messianic author- 
ity. What they want is some sign from heaven. But 
he declines to give them such a sign at present. He 
points them forward to his resurrection as the true Mes- 
sianic sign. He veils it in a symbol which they could 
not understand until the event itself had transpired. He 

1 Psalm lxix. 9. See Briggs, Mess. Proph., p. 330 seq. 



OF JOHN 261 

represents himself as the temple of God, and challenges 
them to destroy the temple, predicting that in three 
days he will raise it up. The people thought that he 
referred to the temple buildings of Jerusalem, and it was 
not until his resurrection that the apostles understood 
that he spake of himself. In this symbol of the temple 
we have veiled one of the most important phases of the 
Messianic idea of the Old Testament. 1 Jesus was the 
true temple of God, of which the temple at Jerusalem 
was a shadow. The true temple would be rejected by 
those who glorified the shadow. But it would be raised 
up again with the resurrection of Jesus and ever after 
remain the temple of God. 

THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVEN-BORN. 

§ 58. The kingdom of God is not to be seen or entered 
except by those who have been born from heaven by the 
divine Spirit and by baptism with water. 

In his discourse with Nicodemus Jesus gave a pro- 
found utterance with reference to the doctrine of the 
kingdom of God. 

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto 
thee, Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the king- 
dom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be 
born when he is old ? Can he enter a second time into his 
mother's womb, and be born ? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I 
say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John iii. 3-5.) 

In our study of the Messianic idea of the synoptists, 
we have seen that the kingdom of God is, in its initia- 
tion, an invisible kingdom, and that it only gradually 
comes into manifestation. 2 We have seen that in the 



See Briggs, Mess. Pr»p//. t p. 479 seq. 2 See p. 244. 






262 THE MESSIAH 

visible kingdom, as it appears in this world, there are 
tares mingled with the wheat, and bad fish mixed in the 
same net with the good ; and that the separation cannot 
take place until the judgment divides the kingdom of 
grace from the kingdom of glory. 1 We have also seen 
that into the invisible kingdom, the spiritual kingdom, 
only those who become poor and childlike can enter. 3 

The words of Jesus to Nicodemus set forth this doc- 
trine with still greater profundity. The kingdom of 
God here is a present kingdom. It is therefore the 
kingdom of grace that Jesus has in mind. But this 
kingdom of grace is invisible to the eye of man. It 
cannot be entered by any human instrumentality. A 
birth is necessary because it is the entrance upon a new, 
a higher, a spiritual, a heavenly, an eternal life. Such a 
life comes from heaven and from God. It is imparted 
by the divine Spirit. Born of God through the quick- 
ening of the Spirit of God, the eye is opened to see the 
kingdom and the ability is given to enter its gates. The 
regeneration here would then be only a parallel expres- 
sion to becoming poor and childlike, in the synoptists. 

The difficulty in this passage is in the word " born of 
water." It is disputed whether this refers to the water 
of baptism, or whether water is anything more than the 
Old Testament symbol of the pouring out of the divine 
Spirit. 3 The oldest and most natural interpretation is 
to refer the water to the water of baptism. John the 
Baptist had made this institution the means of prepara- 
tion for the kingdom of God. Jesus himself and his 
apostles had all been baptized with water. Jesus in the 
apostolic commission gives baptism and faith as require- 
ments for salvation. 4 



1 See p. 206. ,J See p. 101. 

3 See Briggs, Mess. Proph.^ p. 488 ; Weiss, Bib. T/teo., s. 681. * See p. 229. 



OF JOHN 263 

As faith and baptism go together in the preaching of 
the gospel of the kingdom, we would expect that, from 
the divine side of the initiation into the kingdom, the 
work of the Holy Spirit and baptism would be associated. 1 

The regeneration of this passage is a double one, by 
water and by Spirit. 2 Both are necessary in order to 
enter the kingdom of God, just as faith and baptism are 
necessary to salvation in accordance with the great com- 
mission. Water alone does not regenerate or admit to 
the kingdom. Such a baptism may admit to the visible 
kingdom as an external organization, but no more. Bad 
fish may pass through the waters of baptism as well as 
good fish. Tares may enjoy the watering of the minis- 
try as well as the wheat. If there be such an identifica- 
tion of baptism by water with baptism by the Spirit, 
that the water conveys magical grace and works ex opere 
operaio, then it may be held that the admission into the 
kingdom of the Church is made when the ceremony of 
baptism by water is celebrated, and that the regenera- 
tion by the Spirit then takes place. But such an identi- 
fication is certainly not taught in our passage. 

The teaching of Jesus here admits of a doctrine of 



i It is true that this interpretation finds the doctrine of baptismal regeneration 
in this passage, a doctrine which has become unpopular in British and American 
theology since the rise of Methodism in the 18th century. On the other hand 
baptismal regeneration is a doctrine common to all the great Churches of the 
Reformation as well as to the ancient Churches of Rome and of Greece. It was 
held by the Puritan divines of the 17th century no less than by the Anglicans. 
The great Awakening called Methodism with its emphasis upon regeneration in 
connection with religious Revivals and Awakenings, brought baptismal regener- 
ation into discredit with a large section of Protestants in Great Britain and 
America. (See Bnggs' American Presbyterianism, p. 260, and Whither , 
p. 124 seq). The doctrine of baptismal regeneration may be held in a variety 
of forms. Our purpose is not irenic or polemic, but simply and alone to learn 
the lesson Jesus teaches and to state that form in which the Master taught it. 

2 Holtzmann, Handcommentar, iv., s. 52. Wendt {Lehre Jesu y ii., s. 402) 
thinks that the reference to Baptism is an addition of the evangelist. 



264 THE MESSIAH 

baptismal regeneration without such an identification. 
The birth from heaven by the Spirit is necessary in 
order to enter the kingdom, and no one can enter the 
kingdom without that. If there can be baptism by 
water without baptism by the Spirit, then the entrance 
into the kingdom cannot take place through baptism by 
water alone. Baptism by the Spirit is essential. But 
on the other hand baptism by the Spirit is insufficient. 
Baptism by water is required by Jesus in order to enter 
the kingdom of God. If the two baptisms may be 
separated in time and place, then the two baptisms are 
required at these different times and places. Jesus does 
not tell us here whether they may be separated or not. 
That we must learn from other teachings of Holy Scrip- 
ture or from Christian experience. Theological difficul- 
ties arise here which are not contemplated in the pas- 
sage and are not solved by these words of Jesus. There 
are many theological speculations possible on the basis 
of his words, and there is a peril of falling into error on 
the right and on the left. But the peril from these spec- 
ulations should not deter us from following Jesus in his 
teaching that regeneration by baptism is necessary, as 
well as regeneration by the divine Spirit. We have 
seen that it has been necessary to distinguish between 
the invisible and essential kingdom into which only the 
true disciple and real Christian can enter, and the visible 
and larger kingdom which is mixed in this world. Re- 
generation by water admits to the external organization 
of the visible kingdom. Regeneration by the Spirit 
admits to the spiritual kingdom itself. It certainly is 
not in the mind of Jesus here that any one should be a 
member of the inner kingdom who shall not be a mem- 
ber of the outer kingdom likewise. 1 The members of 



Vincent, Word Studies, ii., pp. 91, 92. 



OF JOHN 265 

the inner kingdom from the very nature of the case 
become members of the outer kingdom. Hence regener- 
ation by water ought not to be omitted by them, how- 
ever unimportant it may be in comparison with regen- 
eration by the Spirit. For baptism by water is neces- 
sary for their entrance into the kingdom of God in this 
world. This sacrament is the one appointed by Jesus 
for that purpose. It is in his mind here. There is no 
other lawful mode of entrance into the organization of 
the kingdom as it exists in this world. 1 

It is not to be doubted that Nicodemus was a godly 
man of the Old Testament type when Jesus gave him 
this lesson. He stood on the highest plain of prepara- 
tion for the Messiah's kingdom ; but he no less than 
others needed the regeneration both of water and of 
Spirit, in order to enter the kingdom of the Messiah. 
It was not the question of salvation in its elementary 
sense that was raised, but the question of the Messianic 
kingdom. Though Nicodemus were the best of the Old 
Testament saints and might enter into salvation in the 
Old Testament way, he could not enter into the Mes- 



i The introduction of larger questions raises theological difficulties. The ques- 
tion of the redemption of little children, of the heathen, and of others, who for 
various reasons have not been baptized, must be candidly considered on the basis 
of these words of Jesus. So far as these classes are concerned, we should bear in 
mind that Jesus is speaking of his kingdom of grace in this world as an organ- 
ization of redemption. He is not dealing with the heathen who have had no op- 
portunity for entrance into this kingdom ; or with little children who have died too 
soon to be baptized ; or with those who for various reasons, partly innocent and 
partly guilty, have been induced to discredit the use of baptism for children or 
for adults. According to the teaching of Jesus here, all such have not availed 
themselves of the regeneration by water and so have not entered into the organ- 
ization of his kingdom. But this by no means implies that they are beyond the 
pale of salvation. \V r e should not forget that the Old Testament prophets were 
saved in the kingdom of God of the Old Testament without the regeneration 
here spoken of by our Lord. They had neith;r the baptism by the Holy Spirit 
which was not given by Jesus until Pentecost, nor the baptism by water which 
was a sacrament of the New Testament (cf. Acts xix. 1-7). 



266 THE MESSIAH 

sianic kingdom and enjoy the Messianic redemption 
without regeneration by water and Spirit. 1 

THE EXALTED MESSIAH. 

§ 59. The Son of Man descended from heaven to do the 
will of the Father in this world. He will be lifted up 
that he may attract all to him and that they may believe 
in him. The world will be judged and its prince cast out. 

At the climax of his dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus 
said : 



I 



1 So it is not a just inference from these words of Jesus that ail are excluded 
from the grace of God who do not have this birth from water. They are ex- 
cluded from the Messianic kingdom of grace as set up in this world. But the 
salvation of men in its elementary form is carried on by the grace of God outside 
the kingdom of the Church. Doubtless all men who enter into the discipline of 
redemption outside the Church, in wider circles than those of the kingdom of the 
Messiah set up in this world, eventually enter into the kingdom of the Messiah 
in order that their redemption may be perfected and that they may abide the 
Messianic judgment at the close of the gospel age. But all these are left to the 
rich grace of God and the mercy of the Redeemer, which work even outside the 
kingdom of grace in constant efforts to bring men into it, and whose activities 
are not confined to the brief period of human life in this world, but continue in 
the Middle State between the hour of death and the day of judgment. Those 
who have begun a life of salvation in this world in its pre-christian sense, as en- 
joyed by the antediluvians, or the families of the patriarchs, or the devout hea- 
then, or the children of Israel at the different stages of their religious growth 
prior to the advent of the Messiah, and by those in our times who are in similar 
stages of advancement, but who have not yet been brought to the Messiah— all 
therefore outside the kingdom of the baptized, will doubtless be brought to the 
feet of the Messiah in the Middle State and be there received into his kingdom. 
The great majority of mankind pass centuries and some live millenniums in the 
Middle State prior to the judgment of the day of doom. There they will have 
the opportunities denied them in this life. But all these deductions from the 
words of Jesus are speculative. The author has stated his own opinion in order 
to overcome difficulties in the minds of some of his readers, but especially in 
order to eliminate the teachings of Jesus himself from the many theological spec- 
ulations which have been founded thereon. The doctrine of regeneration as a 
dogma of modern Evangelicalism has been extended so as to embrace all who 
have entered the gateway of redemption, including all infants dying in infancy 
and unbaptized. This is a doctrine which has truth in it, but it is not the doc- 
trine taught by Jesus in his discourse with Nicodemus. 



OF JOHN 267 

If I told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye 
believe, if I tell you heavenly things ? And no man hath ascended 
into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son 
of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up : that whosoever be- 
lieveth may in him have eternal life. (lii. 12-15.) 

Jesus here teaches that he descended from a life of 
pre-existence in heaven with the Father into the world. 
But he is not to remain in the world. He is to be lifted 
up, or exalted. 1 This exaltation is in order that he may 
become an object of faith to men and that they may there- 
by find in him a Saviour. The manner of this lifting up is 
described here by the simile of the lifting up of the 
brazen serpent in the wilderness. It is usually supposed 
that this refers to the elevation of Jesus on the cross, 
and that it is faith in the Messiah hanging on the cross 
that is here taught. This is a mistaken interpretation, 
for there is nothing in the context to indicate any refer- 
ence whatever to the crucifixion. The only thing in the 
story of the brazen serpent to suggest the crucifixion, is 
the pole upon which the serpent was lifted ; but it is note- 
worthy that this pole is not mentioned at all here in the 
words of Jesus, showing that he was not thinking of the 
pole of the cross. The reference to the brazen serpent 
brings into prominence two things : (1) the elevation or 
exaltation of the Messiah as Saviour, and (2) the faith 
of those who would be saved. The exaltation that Jesus 
had in mind was rather his exaltation as the Messianic 
servant in accordance with the prediction of the great 
prophet of the exile. 

Behold, my servant will prosper, 

He will be lifted up and be exalted and be very high. 2 

(Is. lii. 13-15.) 



tyuOf/vai, 3 See Briggs, Mess. Proph. , p. 357 seq. 



268 THE MESSIAH 

The exaltation of the servant implied his previous 
humiliation, but the humiliation was not the exaltation. 
By the current interpretation of these words of Jesus, 
the humiliation of Jesus on the cross is substituted for 
his exaltation after the endurance of the cross and the 
shame. 1 

Jesus was thinking in the previous context of his 
descent from heaven and accordingly here of his exalta- 
tion thither after the accomplishment of his earthly 
work, in accordance with the constant representations 
of the Gospel of John. As the exalted and living Mes- 
siah, he is the Saviour, who having accomplished his 
earthly work in the redemption of men, undertakes his 
heavenly work of mediation, and imparts life and right- 
eousness to all who believe in him. 2 

This thought of the exaltation of the Messiah appears 
again in the words of Jesus at a later period : 

He said therefore again unto them, I go away, and ye shall 
seek me, and shall die in your sin : whither I go, ye cannot come. 
The Jews therefore said, Will he kill himself, that he saith, 
Whither I go, ye cannot come ? And he said unto them, Ye are 
from beneath ; I am from above : ye are of this world ; I am not 
of this world. I said therefore unto you, that, ye shall die in 
your sins : for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your 
sins. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou ? Jesus said 
unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from 
the beginning. I have many things to speak and to judge con- 
cerning you : howbeit he that sent me is true ; and the things 



1 It is true that faith in the crucified Saviour is saving faith according to Chris- 
tian doctrine ; but it is not faith in the Messiah hanging dead on the cross that 
redeems us, it is faith in the living Christ who was once crucified, but who is now 
enthroned ; the Lamb that was slain, but now liveth forevermore ; the Messiah 
who once descended the path of humiliation as servant to the cross and to the 
abode of the dead, but who was exalted by his resurrection, ascension, and en- 
thronement at God's right hand. 

2 See Beyschlag, Neutest. Theologie^ i., s. 271 ; Wendt, Lehre Jesu, s. 596. 



OF JOHN 269 

which I heard from him, these speak I unto the world. They 
perceived not that he spake to them of the Father. Jesus there- 
fore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye 
know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself, but as 
the Father taught me, I speak these things. (John viii. 
21-28.) 

This passage also teaches the descent of the Messiah 
from heaven and his departure again from this world. 
This departure, the Jews who heard him understood to 
be by his death. Jesus also teaches the same, and in 
this respect this passage is in advance of the one we 
have just considered. But the death is here only con- 
ceived as the transition to that which is beyond death. 
His death is really an exaltation, because it brings on the 
exaltation that follows, in the resurrection, ascension, 
enthronement, and the Messianic judgment. His hear- 
ers, the Jews, will have a hand in this exaltation. They 
will put him to death ; but when they think they are 
degrading him and humiliating him to the last degree, 
they are really bringing on that crisis which results in 
his enthronement. As in the previous passage the ex- 
altation of the Messiah was in order that he might be 
the Saviour of all who believed on him, so in this pas- 
sage the exaltation is in order that it may convince the 
Jews of his Messiahship. 

There is a third passage in which this prediction of 
his exaltation is still further advanced : 

Jesus answered and said, This voice hath not come for my 
sake, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world : 
now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be 
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself. But 
this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die. 
The multitude therefore answered him, We have heard out of 
the law that the Messiah abideth forever : and how sayest thou, 
The Son of Man must be lifted up ? who is this Son of Man ? 



270 THE MESSIAH 

Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet a little while is the light 
among you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness over- 
take you not : and he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not 
whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe on the light, 
that ye may become sons of light. (John xii. 30-36.) 

Jesus, contemplating his glory as announced from 
heaven by the theophanic voice, also sees the judgment 
that is connected therewith. This is a judgment of the 
world and of Satan the prince of the world. Jesus sees 
Satan cast out, as, in his discourse in Luke, he had seen 
him hurled like a thunderbolt from heaven. 1 This is 
the one side of his Messianic glory, his victory over the 
world and the devil. But the other side is still more 
important. The Messiah will become an attracting 
power, drawing men unto himself. This attraction is to 
be exerted after he has been lifted up. The lifting up 
is usually explained as his lifting up on the cross. This 
interpretation is apparently justified by the comment of 
the evangelist, that he thus indicated the manner of his 
death ; and it is urged that the attracting power is that 
of the cross. But this superficial interpretation is not 
the real one. The apostle by " manner of death " does 
not mean merely the way in which he would die, but he 
thus briefly states what was the theme of Jesus, his death 
and departure thereby to heaven. The context lays 
stress upon the glorification of the Messiah and not upon 
his humiliation. The lifting up is here, as in the two 
previous passages, to the heavenly throne. 2 From his 
throne in heaven the Messiah will send forth waves of 
centripetal force which will draw all men to Himself as 
the centre of all dominion, all redemption, and all judg- 
ment. 



1 See p. 242. 

a See Stevens, Johannine Theology, p. 181. 



OF JOHN' 271 

There is a progress in these three predictions of the 
exaltation of the Messiah. In all three the final end of 
the exaltation is his heavenly throne. In the first there 
is no hint of the mode of the departure ; in the second, 
death is suggested ; and in the third, crucifixion is hinted. 
The object of the exaltation in the first passage is to be 
the Saviour of all who believe ; in the second, to prove 
his Messiahship to those who would not believe in him 
otherwise ; in the third, to draw all men to himself, and 
to judge and cast out the devil. 



UNIVERSAL WORSHIP. 

§ 60. Jesus teaches the Samaritans that he is the Mes- 
sianic prophet, and that the hour has come in which wor- 
ship at local sanctuaries will give place to a universal spir- 
itual worship of the Father. 

Jesus, in his discourse with the woman of Samaria, 
does not, it is true, bring out his heavenly origin and 
destiny, but he teaches the kindred thought that wor- 
ship in his dispensation is to be heavenly and universal 
over against the earthly, local and national worship of 
the old dispensation. 

The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a 
prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain ; and ye say, 
that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when 
neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the 
Father. Ye worship that which ye know not : we worship that 
which we know : for the salvation ■ is from the Jews. But the 
hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall wor- 



1 7/ currjpia, the salvation, the Messianic salvation predicted in the Old Tes- 
tament. 



272 THE MESSIAH 

ship the Father in spirit and trutk : for such doth the Father 
seek to be his worshippers. God is Spirit : and they that wor- 
ship him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman saith 
unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (who is called Christ) : 
when he is come, he will declare unto us all things. Jesus saith 
unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came 
his disciples ; and they marvelled that he was speaking with a 
woman ; yet no man said, What seekest thou ? or, Why speakest 
thou with her ? So the woman left her waterpot, and went away 
into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, who told 
me all things that ever I did : can this be the Messiah ? (John 
iv. 19-29.) 

The term Messiah is here used by the Samaritan 
woman and also by Jesus. But it is evident that the 
conception of the Messianic prophet is in their minds 
and not that of the king. The Samaritans built their 
hopes of a Messiah upon the prediction of the prophet 
greater than Moses. 1 Accordingly they expected that 
this Messianic prophet would teach them all things. 
Jesus is the prophet and teacher. And he predicts that 
the Samaritans will have a share in the worship of the 
new dispensation. The local worship of Jerusalem, as 
well as that of Gerizim, will pass away, and a universal 
worship will take their place, in which Jew and Samari- 
tan and all nations will alike share. This prediction was 
in the line of the teaching that the prophet greater than 
Moses was expected to give. At the same time even 
here Jesus advances the prediction of the great prophet 
of the exile. The " house of prayer for all nations " 3 
has expanded in his mind to a universal worship in spirit 
and truth. 



Deut. xviii. 18-22 ; Briggs, Mess. Proph., p. xzoseg. 
Isa. lvi. 7 ; Briggs, Mess. Proph., p. 391. 



OF JOHN 273 

THE FATHER'S OWN SON. 

§ 61. Jesus declares that he is the Father's own son, 
making himself equal with God. He has authority over 
life and judgment. All who believe in him pass from 
death into everlasting life. Some will soon hear his quick- 
ening voice and rise from the dead. All will rise from 
the dead when the Son of Man summons them to the uni- 
versal judgment. 

But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, 
and I work. For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more 
to kill him, because he not only brake the sabbath, but also 
called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 
Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say 
unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth 
the Father doing : for what things soever he doeth, these the 
Son also doeth in like manner. For the Father loveth the Son, 
and sheweth him all things that himself doeth : and greater 
works than these will he shew him, that ye may marvel. For as 
the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, even so the 
Son also quickeneth whom he will. For neither doth the Father 
judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son ; 
that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. 
He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which 
sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my 
word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and 
cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into 
life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now 
is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and 
they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, 
even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself : and he 
gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of 
man. Marvel not at this : for the hour cometh, in which all that 
are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; they 
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they 
that have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment. (John 
v. 17-29.) 

The expression " his own Father," implying that 



274 THE MESSIAH 

Jesus was the Father's "own son" or that he was 
" equal with God," was in the eyes of the Pharisees blas- 
phemy and guilt worthy of death. 1 No mere man could 
use such an expression, or make such a claim of rela- 
tionship to God. It was something more than saying 
that he was the Messiah, the son of David, and so the 
son of God. To say that he was the Messiah was not 
making himself equal with God ; for the Messianic king 
of the Old Testament has no such prerogatives. Jesus 
was now saying that there was God the Father and God 
the Son, and that he as God the Son was equal with 
God the Father. It is the representation of the evan- 
gelist that Jesus claims to be the Son of God in the 
theological sense, that he is divine, and that the Phari- 
sees regarded him as blasphemous on that account. 
Only such a divine person could have the attributes 



i Apart from the Prologue, the Gospel of John uses Father, of God as the 
Father of the Messianic Son from heaven ; and only in a single passage, of God 
as the Father of men. In this latter passage, xx. 17, Jesus says to the woman, 
" I ascend unto my Father and your Father." Westcott, Epistles of John, p. 31, 
claims iv. 21, 23 ; v. 45 ; vi. 45, 46, 65 ; x. 29, 32 ; xii. 26 ; xiv. 6. 8 ; xv. 16 ; 
xvi. 23, 26, 27, for the Fatherhood of men. But there is nothing in the context 
of any of these passages to constrain us to think of the Fatherhood of men. In 
several of them the reference to the Son, in the context, suggests the prevailing 
usage. In others, while it is possible to think of the Fatherhood of men, 
that mere possibility cannot resist the overwhelming usage of this gospel. 
6 narr/p is used 79 times of God ; 6 naryp /uov, 25 times ; irdrep, 9 times ; 
6 irarf/p gov, viii. 19 ; 6 %uv ira.T7)p, vi. 57 ; naT7)p l6tog, v. 18. In the synoptic 
gospels, God's Fatherhood of men seems to come from the Logia chiefly if not 
entirely. In Mark it is found only in xi. 25, 26, where the use of 6 h roZc ovpavolg 
suggests the derivation of this passage from Matthew. It is found in Luke, 
apart from passages parallel with Matthew, only xii. 32, which is also probably 
from the Logia. But God's Fatherhood of the Messiah is in all the gospels : 
Mark viii. 38 = Matth. xvi. 27 = Luke ix. 26; Mark xvi. 36 ; xxvi. 39 = Luke xxii. 
42 ; Matth. xi. 25-27 = Luke x. 21-22 ; besides in Luke iii. 8, xxii. 29 ; xxix. 49, 
and in Matthew with 6 ovpavioQ xv. 13. xviii. 35 ; with 6 k v (rulg) ovpavolg 7 times 
and without 7 times. It is evident that the use of " heavenly " and " who (is) in 
heaven " comes from Matthew and not from Jesus himself ; just as Matthew 
uses kingdom of heaven for the original kingdom of God. See p. 79. 



OF JOHN 275 

that Jesus now ascribes to himself. He has within him 
the energy of God. He worketh as the Father worketh. 
He doeth whatsoever the Father doeth, for the Father 
hath shown him all things. The Son quickeneth whom 
he will. He giveth life to men at his discretion. The 
Father hath given all judgment unto the Son, the Son is 
to be honored as the Father. 1 This preliminary state- 
ment as to the attributes of Jesus as the Son of God is 
in order to the prediction that follows. 

This prediction is in the line of life, resurrection, and 
judgment. It moves in three sections. The first section 
predicts the impartation of everlasting life to all who 
hear the word of the Messiah and believe in God. All 
such have passed out of death into life. They will no 
more die. They will not come into judgment. This is 
a spiritual resurrection imparted by the word of the 
Messiah to all believers during their physical life in this 
world. This spiritual resurrection is a parallel to the 
spiritual regeneration of the discourse with Nicodemus. 3 

The second section predicts that an hour is coming and 
now is, when the dead will hear the quickening voice of 
the Son of God and live. The hour coming points to 
the future and therefore indicates a different resurrection 
from the spiritual resurrection of the previous section, 
which was already enjoyed by all who heard the Messi- 
ah's word and believed. The additional word " and 



1 Some, as Beyschlag and Adeney, claim that Jesus meant to deny equality 
with God and to assert his subordination to God, when he said : " The Son can 
do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing "; but this is rather 
an explanation of his sonship and of his equality with God. As Holtzmann 
says, the subordination is only in order to an assertion of equality. He does 
nothing but what he seeth the Father doing, not simply because he is subordi- 
nate to the Father, but because he is in unity with the Father. " The Father 
loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth," and so out of this 
relation of love and unity all that the Father doeth the Son doeth likewise. 

3 See p. 261. 



I\ 



276 THE MESSIAH 

now is " does not so qualify the previous sentence as to 
indicate that the coming hour is already a present hour, 
and so the spiritual resurrection, which is enjoyed in the 
hour that now is, will be enjoyed also in the coming 
hour. That would be rather an insipid repetition of the 
previous section, which was indeed so plain that it needed 
no explication. The " now is " implies the speedy coming 
of that hour, — indicates that it is at hand. The voice 
of the Son of God here is something other than his word 
of the previous section ; it is a voice that is heard, 
whereas the word is not only heard but excites faith. 
The voice here is the same as the voice in the next sec- 
tion ; it is the voice of command, the authoritative voice 
calling the dead into life. Accordingly the dead here 
are not the spiritually dead, but those who are physically 
dead. Those who hear will live, that is a limited num- 
ber as compared with the " all that are in the tombs " of 
the next section. This then is a prediction of a speedy 
resurrection from the dead, in the near future, of a limited 
number of persons who are to be favored with hearing 
the quickening voice of the Messiah. The meaning of 
this prediction could not be clear at that time. But it 
was a prediction of a resurrection from the dead of cer- 
tain ones hearing the Messiah's voice before the univer- 
sal resurrection of the last section. 1 

The third section predicts a universal resurrection of 
the dead at the ultimate judgment, in which some will 
rise to life and others to condemnation. The hour of 
that resurrection is coming. It cannot be said of it that 
it " now is," or that it is at hand. 

We have thus a prediction of three resurrections, the 



1 It was doubtless the resurrection from Hades at the resurrection of the Mes- 
siah. See Matth. xxvii. 52-53. 



OF JOHN 277 

first spiritual, the last universal ; ' the intermediate one, 
distinct from the first and last, and impending, being 
connected with the resurrection of the Messiah himself. 



THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 

§ 62. Jesus came down from the Father as the true 
bread from heaven. He will give his flesh and blood for 
the life of the world. He will then ascend where he was 
before. 

The Gospel of John gives us in Capernaum the same 
demand for a sign as we have met before in Jerusalem. 3 
The time was immediately after the miracle of the 
Loaves and Fishes, and it is replied to by a discourse 
based upon that event. 

They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a 
sign, that we may see, and believe thee ? What workest thou ? 
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness ; as it is written, 
He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. (John vi. 30, 31.) 

The people were not satisfied with the miracle of the 
Loaves and Fishes. That was a sign indeed, but it was 
not a sign equal to the miracles of Moses. They saw in 
the miracles of Jesus no such great sign as the Messiah 
ought to present for their acceptance of him. They had 
been warned by Moses against the miracles of false 
prophets. 3 Why should they believe that Jesus was the 
Messiah unless he gave them evidence by signs equal to 
those of Moses? Jesus takes the story of the giving of 
the manna here, as he took the symbol of the temple, in 
Jerusalem, to set before them a sign, which they could 



1 This is the first prediction of a universal resurrection in the canonical Scrip- 
tures. We have seen it, however, in the Book of Enoch. See p. 28. 
3 See p. 186. » Deut. xiii. 1-5. 



278 THE MESSIAH 

not have at present, but which they would see in the 
near future. 1 

Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life : he that cometh 
to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never 
thirst. But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe 
not. All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me ; 
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I am 
come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of 
him that sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that 
of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but 
should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my 
Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on 
him, should have eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the last 
day. The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he 
said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven. And they 
said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and 
mother we know ? how doth he now say, I am come down out 
of heaven ? Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not 
among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father 
which sent me draw him : and I will raise him up in the last day. 
It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of 
God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath 
learned, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the 
Father, save he which is from God, he hath seen the Father. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life. 
I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat the manna in the 
wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which cometh down 
out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am 
the living bread which came down out of heaven : if any man 
eat of this bread, he shall live forever: yea and the bread which 
I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. The Jews there- 
fore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us 
his flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and 
drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. He that eat- 
eth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life ; and I will 
raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and 



See p. 259. 



OF JOHN 279 

my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh 
my blood abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father 
sent me, and I live because of the Father ; so he that eateth me, 
he also shall live because of me. This is the bread which came 
down out of heaven : not as the fathers did eat, and died : he 
that eateth this bread shall live forever. These things said 
he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many there- 
fore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard 
saying; who can hear it? But Jesus knowing in himself that 
his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause 
you to stumble ? What then if ye should behold the Son of 
Man ascending where he was before ? It is the spirit that quick- 
eneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing : the words that I have spoken 
unto you are spirit, and are life. (John vi. 35-63.) 

In the previous discourse Jesus said that his voice had 
the power to quicken and raise from the dead. Here he 
presents himself at first under the form of bread and 
afterwards under the form of flesh and blood. He im- 
parts life to all who feed upon him. His word is spirit 
and is life, because it emanates from him who is the 
source of spirit and life. There is no other spiritual life 
than that which is imparted by the Messiah from 
heaven. The life that he imparts is everlasting life, and 
it involves the resurrection unto life of the day of judg- 
ment. The nourishment that he imparts is everlasting 
nourishment ; for it removes the pangs of hunger once 
for all and forever, and leaves only an appetite which it 
everlastingly feeds. The Messiah came from heaven to 
the earth, but he is not to remain on the earth. He is 
going to ascend to heaven where he was before. 1 His 



1 Beyschlag (Neutestament. Theologie, i. s. 348) claims that this passage does 
not teach the pre-existence of the Messiah in any other sense than in the line of 
the development we have met in the Apocalypses of Daniel and Enoch (see pp. 
26 seq.), " the everlasting archetypal man of God " (s. 249), who " returns to the 
heart of God " (s. 255). But this does not afford a proper antithesis. The Son 
of Man ascends where he was before. If he was before merely the archetypal 



280 THE MESSIAH 

earthly mission is bounded by this coming and this 
going. It is a mission from his heavenly life ; it is an 
episode in his heavenly ministry, a work which he under- 
took to complete in a brief period of earthly life. 

We notice here the same brief and veiled reference to 
the death of the Messiah that we have seen in the pas- 
sages already considered. 1 The representation of the 
Messiah as the heavenly bread passes over into the 
symbol that he is the victim slain for sacrifice. His flesh 
is the meat that gives life. To this Jesus adds a state- 
ment which must have shocked his Jewish hearers to the 
utmost, namely : that his blood would be the drink of 
life. It was forbidden to the Jews to eat or drink the 
blood even of a sacrificial victim, 2 and yet Jesus does 
not hesitate to tell the Jews that they must drink his 
blood. It was simply impossible at that time for them 
to understand him, and he certainly did not mean that 
they should understand him. How could they reconcile 
themselves to such a flagrant violation of the Levitical 
law? He gave them a sign that would be convincing in 
the future when they saw it. It is clear, however, that 
he predicts his death as a sacrificial victim. His hearers 
might have recalled the trespass offering of the prophet- 
ic servant of the second Isaiah, 3 and his apostles might 
have remembered the words of John the Baptist: " Be- 
hold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the 
world." * 



man in the plan of God does he return to where he was before, if after being a 
real man he ascends to the heart of God ? It is not merely a difference between 
being "a second God alongside of God the Father," and "being in the heart of 
God." It is evident that Beyschlag uses " heart of God " in two different senses, 
the one real, the other ideal. The antithesis demands that the pre-existence and 
post-existence should be either both real or both ideal. 

1 See pp. 186, 277. 3 Lev. xvii. 10-12. 

• Isa. hii. 10. * John i. 29. See p. 69. 



OF JOHN 281 

These were predictions that the Messiah would be a 
sacrificial victim. This eating and drinking can only be 
referred to the sacrament of the Lord's supper, in which 
as here bread and flesh and blood are all combined. 
The sacrament of the body and blood of the Messiah is 
here involved just as baptism with water is implied in 
the discourse with Nicodemus. 1 



RIVERS OF LIVING WATER. 

§ 63. The Messiah in a little while will go to the Father 
who sent him. He will impart the Spirit to those who be- 
lieve on him, and they will become fountains of living 
water. 

At the feast of Tabernacles, Jesus came into conflict 
with the Pharisees, who used every effort to prevent the 
people from believing that he was the Messiah. In the 
midst of this conflict Jesus uttered several sayings which 
are pregnant with Messianic meaning : 

(1) Yet a little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent 
me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me : and where I am, 
ye cannot come. (vii. 33, 34.) 

The Jews thought that it was Jesus' purpose to go 
into other parts of the world and teach the Hellenists. 
They did not understand that he meant that he was 
soon to leave the earth and go to the Father in heaven. 
That this was his meaning is clear from the discourses 
already considered as well as from those that follow. 

(2) If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that 



1 See p. 262. The many objections to this interpretation (See Stevens, Johan- 
tiine Theology, p. 60) are due to a neglect of the predictive element in this dis- 
course and a failure to see that Jesus is giving a symbol of the Messianic sign : 
his death and resurrection. 



282 THE MESSIAH 

believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall 
flow rivers of living water, (vii. 37, 38.) 

The evangelist explains this enigmatical sentence. 
The Messiah referred to the Spirit that was to be given 
after he was glorified, that is, after he had ascended to 
heaven. This is the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost now 
first predicted in the Gospel of John. 1 

When the Spirit came, the believing disciples would 
become fountains of life to others. As the word of 
Jesus had imparted life to them, so the word of the 
Gospel in their hearts would issue forth under the power 
of the Holy Spirit in rivers of life, to quicken all who 
believed the word of the Messiah in their preaching of 
his Gospel. 

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 

§ 64. Jesus is the light of the world. He was prior to 
Abraham zvith the Father. He came into the world to give 
the light of life to all his followers. His word will decide 
in the last day. 

The debate with the Pharisees continues from the 
seventh chapter through the eighth chapter. We have 
the same kind of pregnant sentences as those already 
considered. We shall consider only those that are Mes- 
sianic. 

I am the light of the world : he that followeth me shall not 
walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. (viii. 12.) 

As the Messiah was the bread of life and the water of 
life, so also he is the light of life. His word quickens, 
nourishes, and enlightens all who believe in him, all who 
follow him. 



We have seen similar predictions in the synoptists. See pp. 67, 254. 



OF JOHN 283 

There are several sayings which reiterate what has 
already been said with regard to the power of the words 
of Jesus. 

If ye abide in my word, ye are truly my disciples ; and ye shall 
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (31, 32.) 

If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free in- 
deed. (36.) 

If God were your Father, ye would love me : for I came forth 
and am come from God ; for neither have I come of myself, but 
he sent me. (42.) 

If a man keep my word, he shall never see death. (51.) 

The conflict culminates in these striking words of 

Jesus : 

Before Abraham was born, I am. (58.) 

These words seem to the Jews nothing but blasphemy. 
This is a more striking statement of that which had 
already been taught by Jesus in more general terms, in 
the doctrine of the bread from heaven and of the Fa- 
ther's own Son. Jesus was with the Father in heaven 
before Abraham was born, as the Father's own Son, and 
he had only recently come into the world. The pre- 
existence of Jesus as the Son of God is here more de- 
cidedly and strongly stated than in any previous passage. 
This cannot be resolved into an ideal pre-existence such 
as we have seen in the Book of Enoch. 1 but is a real pre- 
existence of Jesus himself prior to the birth of Abraham. 3 



1 See p. 27. 

3 Wendt denies that this passage teaches any more than an ideal pre-existence 
of Jesus. He argues that his existence before the time of Abraham must be 
thought of in the same way as his existence at the time of Abraham. Abraham 
rejoiced to see the day of the Messiah, that is in the vision of faith in the Messi- 
anic promises wrapped up in the birth of Isaac ; not in real existence, but in 
ideal existence. So the Messiah himself was pre-existent in the thought, decree, 
and promise of God not only when Abraham saw his clay, but long prior to Abra- 
ham. (Lehre Jesu, ii.. s. 468 seq.) This plausible argument is not valid, for 
Abraham did not rejoice because he saw the ideal of the Messianic redemption 



284 THE MESSIAH 

The doctrine of judgment by the words of the Mes- 
siah is also taught in the closing section of a later dis- 
course, reminding us of the condemnation by the Gospel, 
in the Great Commission. 1 

And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth 
not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that beholdeth me 
beholdeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, 
that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness. 
And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge 
him not : for I came not to judge the world, but to save the 
world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, 
hath one that judgeth him : the word that I spake, the same 
shall judge him in the last day. (John xii. 44-48.) 

Jesus came into the world to save the world, not to 
judge it. He returns to heaven to the Father, after 
completing his work of salvation in the world, in order 
to continue his work of salvation from his heavenly 
throne. The judgment is attached to the word of the 
Gospel. But it will not take effect until the last day, 
the Day of judgment. 3 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 

§ 65. Jesus is the good shepherd, who will lay down his 
life for the sheep and take it again. The high priest pre- 
dicts that Jesus must die for the nation. 

There are two passages which may be best considered 



latent in the mind of God, or veiled in his promises, but because in the prophetic 
vision he saw that ideal in the reality of history. The real existence in history 
of the Messiah was what gave joy to Abraham though he foresaw it centuries 
before wrapped up in the ideal. It was a real pre-existence before Abraham, 
which is the natural antithesis. It is a claim of a divine attribute, as Holtzmann 
states. {Handcommentar zum Neuen Testa?nent, iv., s. iai.) The ideal pre- 
existence of the Messiah was a familiar idea to Judaism. If Jesus had asserted 
that, he would not have shocked his hearers. He said that of himself which 
excited their indignation to the utmost against him as a blasphemer. They 
instinctively took up stones to cast at him. See also Stevens, Johannine Theol- 
ogy ', p. i2i. » See p. 228. See p. 273. 



OF JOHN 285 

under this head. The first of these is the discourse re- 
corded in John, in which Jesus presents himself as the 
Good Shepherd. 

I am the good shepherd : the good shepherd layeth down his 
life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, 
whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and 
leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and 
scattereth them : he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth 
not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd ; and I know mine 
own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, 
and I know the Father ; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I 
must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and they shall become 
one flock, one shepherd. Therefore doth the Father love me, 
because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one 
taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have 
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This 
commandment received I from my Father. (John x. 11-18.) 

This prediction of the death and resurrection of Jesus 
seems to have been on the occasion of his rejection by 
the synagogue in connection with the miracle of the 
man born blind. Jesus represents himself as the good 
Shepherd, who cares for the sheep and protects them 
even at the cost of his own life. He is to lay down his 
life for the flock. But his death will be an unique one, 
for he has authority from the Father to take his life 
again after he has laid it down. The doctrine of death 
and resurrection is here taught as in the previous pas- 
sages ; only the thought is brought out that the Mes- 
siah's death is a death for the sake of his sheep, and his 
living again is also on their behalf, in order to unite with 
his present flock other sheep so as to make one flock 
under one shepherd. 

Jesus here conceives of all the redeemed from all na- 
tions united with the little flock he himself has gathered 



286 THE MESSIAH 

out of Israel into one great flock. As there is but one 
shepherd, there can be but one flock. The flock may 
be divided and scattered by wicked men — Jesus does not 
think of that episode here — but the flock always remains 
one to the Shepherd, and eventually its divisions will 
disappear and the scattered sheep be gathered together. 

The ideal of the Messiah here frowns upon a divided 
and distracted Christianity. Any division in the flock 
is sinful, any schism involves wrong and guilt. The sin 
and the guilt doubtless in most cases rest upon the 
under-shepherds rather than on the sheep, or are the 
result of the ambition, jealousy, contention, and tyranny 
of the bell-wethers of the flock ; but the wrong of di- 
vision should be undone as soon as possible. The sheep 
take upon themselves the guilt, if they perpetuate the 
divisions and schism after the guilty shepherds have been 
removed and the occasions of separation cease to exist. 
The impulses for unity streaming upon us from the ideal 
of the one flock of Jesus, and attracting us to the one 
shepherd enthroned in glory, ought to overcome all the 
weaker and merely human and temporary tendencies to 
division. 

The same doctrine of the vicarious death of the Mes- 
siah is brought out in a more definite form in a predic- 
. tion of the high priest Caiaphas, which is reported only 
in the Gospel of John. 

The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a san- 
hedrin, and said, What do we ? for this man doeth many signs. 
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him : and the 
Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. 
But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, 
a said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor do ye take account 

that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the peo- 
ple, and that the whole nation perish not. Now this he said not 
of himself : but being high priest that year, he prophesied that 



OF JOHN 287 

Jesus should die for the nation ; and not for the nation only, but 
that he might also gather together into one the children of God 
that are scattered abroad. So from that day forth they took 
counsel that they might put him to death. (John xi. 47-53.) 



THE SEED AND THE FRUIT. 

§ 66. Jesus taught his disciples that the hour had come 
for the Messiah to die. He would be buried as seed and 
then rise again and bear the fruit of glory. His disciples 
were to follow him in death and resurrection. The conse- 
cration of the Messiah to his work is recognized by a the- 
ophanic voice declaring him to be the Son of God and the 
heir of glory. 

The Gospel of John gives no account of the transfig- 
uration, but reports a theophany in the temple, in the 
last week of the ministry of Jesus, that is not reported 
by the synoptists. 

Some Greeks are anxious to see Jesus. This brings 
before the mind of the Messiah the glory and fruitful- 
ness of his mission, and he says : 

The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into 
the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone ; but if it die, it bear- 
eth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that 
hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If 
any man serve me, let him follow me ; and where I am, there 
shall also my servant be : if any man serve me, him will the 
Father honor. Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall I say ? 
Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto 
this hour. Father, glorify thy name. There came therefore a 
voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will 
glorify it again, (xii. 23-28.) 

The Messiah compares himself to a grain of wheat. 
As this grain is sown in order to die and then be 



288 THE MESSIAH 

quickened and become fruitful, so the Messiah is to be 
sown in the ground. He is to die and be buried in 
the earth. He is then to spring up in resurrection 
and have an abundant harvest of redeemed men. The 
fruit of his ministry, the glory of his reward, can come 
only after his death and his burial. The disciples are to 
follow him in this death and resurrection, and only 
thereby will they attain to his presence and glory. The 
Messiah now reaches the height of his earthly recogni- 
tion by God in theophany. He afterwards descends 
rapidly into the valley of humiliation and rejection. His 
human nature shrinks from the hour of death. But he 
has made that hour his goal, and goes forward bravely 
towards it, assured by the theophanic voice that it leads 
to the highest degree of glory. 

THE PARACLETE. 

§ 67. Jesus is shortly to go away to the Father to be glo- 
rified with the glory he had before the creation of the 
world. He will prepare abodes in the heavenly temple for 
his disciples. He will come to take them to himself. He 
will shortly come again in the Paraclete, to dwell with 
them for ever. The Holy Spirit will convict the world 
of the sin of unbe lief and guide the disciples into all the 
truth. They will be persecuted unto death, but the pres- 
ence of the Messiah and his Spirit will give them joy. 

As the synoptists gave the greater Apocalypse of 
Jesus on the Mount of Olives shortly before the passion, 
so the Gospel of John gives a still longer discourse on 
the evening of the passion. But these discourses are so 
different in form and character that they have little in 
common. They both point to times of persecution and 
distress subsequent to the death of the Messiah, and 



OF JOHN 289 

present Messianic ideals of the Advent of the Messiah, 
of the salvation of the disciples, and of the future glory 
of the Messiah in which the disciples will share ; but in 
other respects they move in different lines of the Mes- 
sianic idea. This discourse with its interrupting ques- 
tions begins after the departure of Judas. It is esoteric 
to the eleven faithful apostles. We shall consider it in 
sections, limiting ourselves to the Messianic mate- 
rial. 

(i) When therefore he was gone out, Jesus saith, Now is the 
Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him ; and God shall 
glorify him in himself, and straightway shall he glorify him. 
Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek 
me : and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come ; 
so now I say unto you. A new commandment I give unto you, 
that ye love one another ; even as I have loved you, that ye also 
love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my 
disciples, if ye have love one to another. Simon Peter saith 
unto him, Lord, whither goest thou ? Jesus answered, Whither 
I go, thou canst not follow me now ; but thou shalt follow after- 
wards. Peter saith unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee 
even now ? I will lay down my life for thee. Jesus answereth, 
Wilt thou lay down thy life for me ? Verily, verily, I say unto 
thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. 
(John xiii. 31-38.) 

Jesus looks forward to his impending glorification. A 
little while only will the Son of Man remain with his 
apostles. He is about to depart to the Father ; thither 
they cannot follow him at present, but they will follow 
him afterwards. He is about to die and to be glorified. 
They will also die after a period of service and follow 
him into the presence of the Father in heaven. He 
leaves behind him his law of love, as the supreme law 
for his disciples and the badge of discipleship. This 
law is a new law, in that it is a law which shines upon 



290 THE MESSIAH 

them from the person of the Messiah himself. His love 
to them is the law of their love to one another. 

(2) Let not your heart be troubled : believe in God, believe also 
in me. In my Father's house are many abiding places ; if it were 
not so, I would have told you ; for I go to prepare a place for 
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and 
will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be 
also. And whither I go, ye know the way. Thomas saith unto 
him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest ; how know we the 
way ? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the 
life : no one cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye bad 
known me, ye would have known my Father also : from hence- 
forth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, 
Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto 
him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know 
me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father ; how 
sayest thou, Shew us the Father ? Believest thou not that I am 
in the Father, and the Father in me ? The words that I say 
unto you I speak not from myself : but the Father abiding in me 
doeth his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the 
Father in me : or else believe me for the very works' sake. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the 
works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these 
shall he do ; because I go unto the Father. And whatsoever ye 
shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be 
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, that 
will I do. If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. 
(John xiv. 1— 1 5.) 

The separation of the apostles from their Master for a 
little season of service should not trouble them. For he 
goes to the Father's house, the temple in heaven to be 
glorified. There he will be in his own home and seat of 
dominion, and there he will prepare places for them. 
When the time comes for them to follow him by death 
and to depart out of this earthly life, they will not de- 
scend to Sheol as did the ancient worthies under the 
Old Testament ; they will not even go to the Paradise, 



OF JOHN 291 

the Abraham's bosom of the Middle State ; they will 
ascend to heaven, they will come into this heavenly 
temple : they will not only find places prepared for them 
therein, but Jesus himself will come to them to take 
them to himself. The majority of interpreters rightly 
see in this promise an advent of the Messiah to the 
faithful disciple at death. This then is the promise of 
a spiritual, a dynamic advent of the Messiah such as the 
dynamic, spiritual advent promised in the passages of 
the synoptists relating to congregational discipline and 
to the ministry of the apostles. 1 

The Messiah is himself the only way unto the Father. 
Faith in him is not to lose its efficacy during his absence 
in heaven. It will rather gain in power, because the 
Messiah, enthroned with the Father in heaven, will 
endow the apostles, in their ministry on earth, with the 
authority of miracle-working, and will respond to all 
their petitions, and so they will excel even the Messiah 
in their wondrous works. Love to the Messiah will be 
fruitful within them in obedience and in loving ministry. 

(3) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another 
Paraclete, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of 
truth : whom the world cannot receive ; for it beholdeth him 
not, neither knoweth him : ye know him ; for he abideth with 
you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you desolate : I come 
unto you. Yet a little while, and the world beholdeth me no 
more ; but ye behold me : because I live, ye shall live also. In 
that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, 
and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth 
them, he it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be 
loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself 
unto him. Judas [not Iscariot] saith unto him, Lord, what is 
come to pass that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not 
unto the world ? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man 



» See pp. 195. 231. 



292 THE MESSIAH 

love me, he will keep my word : and my Father will love him 
and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He 
that loveth me not, keepeth not my words : and the word which 
ye hear is not mine, but the Father's, who sent me. 

These things have I spoken unto you, while yet abiding with 
you. But the Paraclete, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to 
your remembrance all that I said unto you. Peace I leave with 
you ; my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I 
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fear- 
ful. Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto 
you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because 1 go unto 
the Father : for the Father is greater than I. And now I have 
told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye 
may believe. I will no more speak much with you, for the prince 
of the world cometh : and he hath nothing in me ; but that the 
world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave 
me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. 

(John xiv. 16-31.) 

There will be compensation for the absence of the 
Messiah. The apostles will have another Paraclete, the 
Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, who will come and 
abide with them forever. He will teach them all things. 
He will bring to their remembrance all the instructions 
of Jesus and explain them. This promise of the advent 
and guidance of the Holy Spirit is in accordance with 
the promises already considered. 1 The Paraclete here 
is not simply a Comforter, as the English Versions render 
it. The Paraclete is rather an advocate, a counsellor-at- 
law, a surrogate who espouses the cause of a client, rep- 
resents him in his suit, is his adviser and his advocate. 5 
Such is the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promises to send to 
his disciples. He is another Paraclete, like Jesus him- 



1 See pp. 231, 254, 281. 

2 See Vincent, Word Studies^ ii., p. 243, and Hatch, Essays in Biblical Greek, 
p. 82. 



OF JOHN 293 

self, who is here conceived as also a Paraclete} The 
Holy Spirit thus continues the work of Jesus. He is 
the surrogate of the Messiah. He carries on the work 
of Messianic redemption in the world as the ever-abiding 
counsellor of the apostles and of their successors in the 
ministry. 

Jesus is to go away to the Father. He will be absent 
from his disciples and remain in heaven, so far as his 
visible presence is concerned ; but he will grant his spir- 
itual presence in a dynamic advent. He will manifest 
himself to those who love him and keep his command- 
ments, and will let them know him as present. It is 
evident that Jesus is speaking in such general and com- 
prehensive terms, that he means something more than 
his advent in the Christophanies of the Apostolic age. 
He means that he will come in spiritual presence to the 
spirits of his disciples. He will grant them the contact 
of his spirit with their spirits. This contact will be ex- 
perienced by the spirits of the faithful, who will thus be 
assured of the real presence of their Messiah. 2 

Jesus promises still more : not only that the Spirit and 
the Son will come together, but that the Father and the 
Son will come with the Spirit to the faithful disciples, and 
will take up their abode with the loving and the obe- 
dient. The heavenly Father will come with the Son 
and the Spirit. The three will come and dwell in the 
man. This is the promise of the spiritual and dynamic 
advent and presence of the Father, the Son, and the 
Spirit, to faithful and loving disciples. We have con- 
sidered the spiritual presence of the Messiah in another 
connection, in the assembly of disciples and in the min- 



i See also i John ii. i. 

3 See Stevens, Johannine Theology^ p. 334. 



294 THE MESSIAH 

istry of the apostles. 1 Here it is granted to the indi- 
vidual in his life of holiness, and it is accompanied with 
the spiritual presence of the Father and of the Spirit, — a 
doctrine vastly more profound and comprehensive. 

(4.) I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away : and 
every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear 
more fruit. Already ye are clean because of the word which I 
have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the 
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; so 
neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are 
the branches : He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same 
beareth much fruit : for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a 
man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is with- 
ered ; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and 
they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in 
you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; and so 
shall ye be my disciples. Even as the Father hath loved me, I also 
have loved you : abide ye in my love. If ye keep my com- 
mandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept my 
Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things 
have T spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that 
your joy may be made full. This is my commandment, that ye 
love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath 
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye 
are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. No 
longer do I call you servants ; for the servant knoweth not what 
his lord doeth : but I have called you friends ; for all things that 
I heard from my Father i have made known unto you. Ye did 
not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye 
should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide : that 
whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give 
it you. These things I command you, that ye may love one 
another. (John xv. 1-17.) 

The allegory of the Vine sets forth the nature of the 



1 See pp. 195, 231. 



OF JOHN 295 

spiritual presence of the Messiah with his disciples. 
Though he is in heaven enthroned in glory and they are 
upon the earth, there is vital organic union between 
them. He is the vine stock in heaven, they are the 
branches on earth ; but the life of the vine descends 
from the heavenly stock, and pervades all the earthly 
branches with its divine energy. His disciples are or- 
ganized into one living body, of which the Messiah in 
heaven is the life-giving source. Only in virtue of this 
abiding, vital union will they be able to live as disciples 
and be fruitful in good works. The bond of union is 
life, the life of the Messiah, a dynamic, spiritual, all-per- 
vading presence, immanent in all disciples, permanent in 
all the faithful, dominant in all the living, and exhibit- 
ing itself to the world in a love which is fruitful in good 
works. The love of Jesus to his disciples is their law of 
life. He made them his friends, laid down his life for 
them, communicated to them the instruction given him 
by the Father, and appointed them to a fruitful ministry, 
by which they are to glorify the Father. 

(5) If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before 
/'/ hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its 
own : but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out 
of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the 
word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. 1 
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you ; if they kept 
my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things will 
they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not 
him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, 
they had not had sin : but now they have no excuse for their sin. 
He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done 
among them the works which none other did. they had not had 
sin : but now have they both seen and hated both me and my 
Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word may be fulfilled 



1 See p. 196. 



296 THE MESSIAH 

that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. 1 
But when the Paraclete is come, whom I will send unto you from 
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the 
Father, he shall bear witness of me : and ye also bear witness, 
because ye have been with me from the beginning. 

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be 
made to stumble. They shall put you out of the synagogues : 
yea, the hour cometh. that whosoever killeth you shall think 
that he offereth service unto God. And these things will they 
do, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these 
things have I spoken unto you, that when their hour is come, ye 
may remember them, how that I told you. And these things I 
said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you. 

(John xv. 18-xvi. 4.) 

The apostles are to be hated by the world as their 
master was hated, and persecuted as their master was 
persecuted. They will be expelled from synagogues, and 
it will be regarded as a service to God if they are put to 
death. This warning of persecution we have already 
considered in connection with several discourses in the 
Synoptics. 2 But the disciples will have the Paraclete to 
guide them in their ministry. The Spirit of Truth will 
witness to them of the Messiah and explain the life, 
death, and resurrection of Jesus as they could not be 
explained before the events themselves transpired. The 
apostles who have been with the Messiah throughout his 
ministry will bear witness to the world respecting those 
events which they have witnessed. Jesus warns them 
of persecutions, and advises them of their guidance by 
the Spirit in order to prepare them for the events that 
were now impending. 

(6) But now I go unto him that sent me ; and none of you asketh 
me, Whither goest thou ? But because I have spoken these 
things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I 



» Ps. lxix. 4. 9 See pp. 97, 143, J99- 



OF JOHN 297 

tell you trie truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if 
I go not away, the Paraclete will not come unto you ; but if I go, 
I will send him unto you. And he, when he is come, will con- 
vict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of 
judgment : of sin, because they believe not on me ; of righteous- 
ness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more ; of 
judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged. I 
have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you 
into all the truth : for he shall not speak from himself ; but what 
things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak : and he shall 
declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify 
me : for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. All 
things whatsoever the Father hath are mine : therefore said I, 
that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you. 

(John xvi. 5-15.) 

The departure of the Messiah to the Father is best for 
the disciples. It was necessary that he should go to the 
Father in order that he might send the Paraclete. They 
could not have the Paraclete, they could not understand 
the significance of the life of the Messiah, that life itself 
would be fruitless, until the ascension and enthronement 
of the Messiah had completed the work of redemption 
for which he had left his heavenly abode. After the 
redemption had been accomplished, and the guilt of men 
for rejecting the Messiah had been incurred, then the 
Holy Spirit would be able to work with omnipotent 
energy for the redemption of the world. The work of 
the Spirit will be two-fold. On the one side he will 
work conviction of sin and of righteousness and judg- 
ment. The sin of rejecting the Messiah will be made 
plain when the Messianic sign of the resurrection hath 
convinced men that Jesus is the Messiah. The right- 
eousness of the Messiah will be displayed after Jesus 
hath ascended into heaven acceptable to the heavenly 
Father. The Messianic judgment will be manifest in 



298 THE MESSIAH 

the judgment and overthrow of Satan in connection 
with the enthronement of Jesus. On the other side the 
divine Spirit will guide the disciples into all the truth. 
This was impossible until the truth had been accom- 
plished in the facts of history by the death resurrection, 
and ascension of Jesus. But afterwards the Spirit would 
be able to guide the disciples into all the truth. He 
would be able to explain these events and the truth in- 
volved in them. He would declare unto them those 
things about the Messiah which could not be declared 
while he remained present with them in his earthly life. 
His death, resurrection, and ascension first gave his 
earthly life its meaning. 

(7). A little while, and ye behold me no more ; and again a 
little while, and ye shall see me. Some of his disciples therefore 
said one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little 
while, and ye behold me not ; and again a little while, and ye 
shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? They said 
therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while ? We know 
not what he saith. Jesus perceived that they were desirous to 
ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves 
concerning this, that I said, A little while, and ye behold me not, 
and again a little while, and ye shall see me ? Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall 
rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned 
into joy. A woman w r hen she is in travail hath sorrow, because 
her hour is come : but when she is delivered of the child, she 
remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man Is born 
into the world. And ye therefore now have sorrow : but I will 
see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one 
taketh away from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If ye shall ask anything of the 
Father, he will give it you in my name. Hitherto have ye asked 
nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy 
may be made full. (John xvi. 16-24.) 

Jesus now goes back to the prediction of his own return 



OF JOHN 299 

to his disciples. The little while of the two clauses 
must have some sort of proportion. The little while of 
the return cannot therefore refer to the second Advent 
in the clouds, because that would be entirely out of pro- 
portion to the few hours remaining before the departure 
of Jesus. Moreover, the Gospel of John does not in 
this discourse refer at all to the second Advent on the 
clouds. 1 Some refer the return here to the resurrection ; 
but this is impossible because the going away is not the 
departure of death, but the departure to the Father, 
which did not take place until the ascension. The de- 
parture of this gospel is throughout the departure to the 
Father. There is no sufficient reason to think of a dif- 
ferent usage here. The little while before the return 
seems to be the brief interval after the ascension until 
the spiritual advent to the apostles on the day of Pente- 
cost. 3 It is the spiritual, dynamic return to which Jesus 
refers throughout this discourse, a return from heaven 
in connection with the gift of the Holy Spirit, a spir- 
itual, a dynamic presence with the disciples during their 
earthly ministry and in their personal sanctification. 
This presence will give them joy. There will be a little 
season of sorrow for them and joy for the world ; but 
their sorrow is like the pangs of a woman in childbirth, 
that will be forgotten when the child is born. In a very 
short time their sorrow will be turned into joy, when 
they see the birth of the Messianic age and enjoy the 
powerful presence of the Messiah, ruling them from his 
heavenly throne and directing them by his Holy Spirit 
from his presence chamber in their Reason. 

(S). These things have I spoken unto you in parables ; the hour 
cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in parables, but 



1 But see p. 259. ■ See p. 254. 



300 THE MESSIAH 

shall tell you plainly of the Father. In that day ye shall ask in 
my name: and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for 
you ; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved 
me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I 
came out from the Father, and am come into the world : again, 
I leave the world, and go unto the Father. His disciples say, 
Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no parable. Now 
know we that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any 
man should ask thee : by this we believe that thou earnest forth 
from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe ? Behold, 
the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every 
man to his own, and shall leave me alone : and yet I am not 
alone, because the Father is with me. These things have I 
spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world 
ye have tribulation : but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the 
world, (xvi. 25-33.) 

During the times, in his instruction of his apostles, 
which have now come to an end, Jesus had been obliged 
to speak unto them in parables, which were obscure to 
them, from the very necessities of the case ; but all these 
obscurities will soon be removed by the coming events. 
As the Messiah came forth from the Father into the 
world, so now he leaves the world and goes unto the 
Father. The apostles will be troubled and they will be 
scattered abroad, but they should be courageous. The 
Messiah has overcome the world. Victory is wrapt' up 
in his departure, and his disciples will soon enjoy the 
victory with him. 

(9 ) These things spake Jesus ; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, 
he said, Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that the Son 
may glorify thee: even as thou gavest him authority over all 
flesh, that whatsoever thou hast given him, to them he should 
give eternal life. And this is the life eternal, that they should 
know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, 
even Jesus Christ. I glorified thee on the earth, having accom- 
plished the work which thou hast given me to do. And now. O 



OF JOHN 



301 



Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which 
I had with thee before the world was. I manifested thy name 
unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world : thine they 
were, and thou gavest them to me ; and they have kept thy word. 
Now they know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me 
are from thee: for the words which thou gavest me I have given 
unto them , and they received them, and knew of a truth that I 
came forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me. 
I pray for them : I pray not for the world, but for those whom 
thou hast given me ; for they are thine : and all things that are 
mine are thine, and thine are mine : and I am glorified in them. 
And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and 
I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which 
thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are. While 
I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given 
me : and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the 
son of perdition ; that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now 
I come to thee ; and these things I speak in the world, that they 
may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given them 
thy word ; and the world hated them, because they are not of the 
world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou 
shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep 
them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am 
not of the world. (John xvii. 1-16.) 

The discourse having reached its climax in the pro- 
fession of faith of the apostles, Jesus makes an interces- 
sory prayer to the Father for them. This we may divide 
into two sections. The first section is a petition for the 
glory that the Messiah had earned by the completion of 
the ministry on earth given him by the Father. He 
prays that he may return to the glory that he had pre- 
viously enjoyed with the Father before the existence of 
the world. This involves a pre-existence farther back 
than any previously stated, and more glorious than in 
any of the earlier representations. The pre-existence of 
the Messiah prior to Abraham was taught in an earlier 



302 THE MESSIAH 

chapter of John, 1 but here the pre-existence is prior to 
all creatures in the world and to the world itself. It is 
also a pre-existence in glory,, and a glory so great that 
the meritorious service of the Messiah is simply rewarded 
with a return to it. 2 

Jesus then prays for his disciples that they may be 
kept safe from the evil of the world, in which they are 
to remain and suffer in their ministry of the gospel. 
He prays for their unity, that they may be kept in a 
unity which has as its norm the unity of the Father and 
the Son. The Messiah sees that they will be exposed 
to division as they will be exposed to the evil of the 
world. Internal discord and external evil are the two 
great perils of Christianity. The ideal unity must be 
kept in mind as well as the ideal holiness. Those who 
are breaking the unity of the disciples or preventing 
their unity in anyway, are engaged in the work of the 
Evil one, no less than if they were tempting the disci- 
ples to sin, or were persecuting them with external evils. 
The true disciple runs ever along the lines of the prayer 
of Jesus and aims straight at the Master's ideals. 

(10) Sanctify them in the truth : thy word is truth. As thou didst 






> See p. 283. 

2 Wendt, Lehre Jesti, ii., s. 464 seq., argues that " the glory which the Mes- 
siah had with the Father before the creation of the world," was the glory that 
was treasured up for him there as the reward for his Messianic ministry and that 
it does not imply the real pre-existence of the Messiah. He appeals to the treas- 
ure laid up in heaven for the disciples (Matthew vi. 20 ; Mark x. 21) and to the 
kingdom prepared before the foundation of the world (Matthew xxv. 34). But 
it is not said of the disciples that they really have those treasures or that king- 
dom, still less that they had them. And if Jesus, as the reward of his ministry, 
desired nothing more than he had before the foundation of the world,— that 
the Father would glorify him with the glory that he had before, — then these 
treasures of glory would still remain treasures in store for him and no more. The 
antithesis is between glory once in possession, now not in possession, soon to 
be possessed again. Such a glory implies a real pre-existence before the earthly 
life as much as a real post-existence after the earthly life. 



OF JOHN 303 

send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world. And 
for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may 
be sanctified in truth. Neither for these only do I pray, but for 
them also that believe on me through their word ; that they 
may all be one ; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, 
that they also may be in us : that the world may believe that 
thou didst send me. And the glory which thou hast given me 
I have given unto them ; that they may be one, even as we are 
one ; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into 
one ; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and 
lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me. Father, that which thou 
hast given me, I will that, where I am, they also may be with 
me ; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me : 
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O 
righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew thee ; 
and these knew that thou didst send me ; and I made known 
unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love 
wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them. 

(John xvii. 17-26.) 

The second part of this intercessory prayer of Jesus is 
a prayer for the sanctification and glorification of the 
disciples. The prayer is not limited to the apostles, but 
it comprehends all who would believe in the Messiah 
through their ministry. It is comprehensive beyond 
anything we have yet seen in the words of Jesus. It 
looks longer into the reaches of time. It sees a ministry 
of successors of the apostles. It sees them all united in 
one organism in that mystic union which is after the 
norm of the union of the Father and the Son. The 
Messiah prays that they may also share his glory, that 
they may all be with him in heaven and that they all 
may be united in love. 

It is a surprising feature in this discourse that nothing 
in it refers to the second Advent of the Messiah at the 
End of the Age. The Messiah from heaven grants the 



304 THE MESSIAH 

disciples the presence of his Holy Spirit and his own 
spiritual dynamic presence during their ministry in this 
world, and then when they have completed their ministry 
and follow him in death, he will come and take them to 
the heavenly temple to share his glory with the Father. 

The Advent taught in this discourse is the advent of 
the Paraclete at Pentecost. This takes the same domi- 
nant place here that the Advent of the Son of Man in 
the clouds takes in the Apocalypse of Jesus. 1 The only 
Advent of Jesus known to this discourse is a spiritual 
dynamic advent, which it unfolds and emphasizes far 
beyond anything in the synoptic gospels. 

Nothing could be more unlike than these two dis- 
courses, spoken within a few hours by the same Master 
to the same disciples. They present, in a different 
and thoroughgoing way, two distinct phases of the 
Messianic idea, neither of which can safely be neglected. 



THE KINGDOM OF THE TRUTH. 

§ 68. Jesus accepts the recognition of his disciples that 
he is the Messiah, but declines to set up his kingdom in the 
world. He testifies to Pilate that his kingdom is not of 
this world. 

Many times during his ministry Jesus v/as recognized 
as the Messiah by his disciples and the multitude. Be- 
sides those recognitions, studied in connection with the 
synoptics, 2 we have several in this gospel in addition to 
those already considered. 3 Thus Martha affirms : 

I have believed that thou art the Messiah, the Son of God, he 
that cometh into the world. (John xi. 27.) 



1 See p. 154. a See p. 92. s See p. 258. 






OF JOHN 305 

After the feeding of the multitudes: 

Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and 
take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the 
mountain himself alone. (John vi. 15.) 

Here Jesus definitely decides not to allow the zealots 
to make him king by deeds of violence. His enthrone- 
ment was not to be in this world, his capital was not to 
be in Jerusalem. His throne was a heavenly throne and 
his city the heavenly Jerusalem. 

But the strongest passage upon this phase of the doc- 
trine of the kingdom is the following : 

Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and called 
Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews ? Jesus 
answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee 
concerning me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own 
nation and the chief priests delivered thee unto me : what hast 
thou done ? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world : 
if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, 
that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but now is my king- 
dom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou 
a king then ? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, for I am a king. 
To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into 
the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one 
that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, 
What is truth ? And when he had said this, he went out again 
unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find no crime in him." 
(John xviii. 33-38.) 

Jesus here teaches that his kingdom is not a worldly 
one, but a heavenly one. It is not a kingdom to fight 
for by deeds of arms, but a kingdom of witness bearing 
to the truth. The Messiah came to bear witness to the 
truth ; the disciples are to carry on that witness-bearing. 
The divine Spirit is to guide them in it. Such is the 
warfare of the kingdom of the Messiah. The age of the 



306 THE MESSIAH 

kingdom is an age of the divine Spirit, and it is also ar, 
age of advance into the truth of God. 



LORD AND GOD. 

§ 69. The Messiah fulfils his promise and rises from 
the dead. He manifests himself in Christophany to his 
disciples. He is recognized as Lord and God. 

Besides the Christophanies of the resurrection reported 
by the synoptists, we have to consider those peculiar to 
the Gospel of John. 

Jesus appears to the eleven in Jerusalem, and convinces 
the doubting Thomas by permitting him to put his 
finger in the prints of the nails and his hand in the 
wound of the side. 

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see my 
hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into my side : and 
be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said unto 
him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou 
hast seen me, thou hast believed : blessed are they that have not 
seen, and yet have believed. (John xx. 27-29.) 

This recognition of the deity of Jesus is not surpris- 
ing in the Gospel of John. Nothing of the kind is 
known to the synoptics. In this Christophany Jesus 
appears in a body which is now tangible, so that it may 
be touched and felt by the doubting apostle, and then 
again so above the obstructions of material things that 
it enters through closed doors. The risen body of Jesus 
was in the transition of glorification, becoming less and 
less earthly in its substance, and more and more heavenly 
until the time came for the ascension from earth to 
heaven, 



OF JOHN 307 

THE MARTYRDOM OF SIMON. 

§ 70. Jesus appears in Ch? istophany to the apostles in 
Galilee, calls Simon to be a loving shepherd of his flock, and 
predicts his martyrdom before the Advent. 

The narrative of the last chapter of this gospel is cer- 
tainly an appendix to the gospel. It is in dispute 
among critics whether it was added by the same author 
or by a later hand. It is immaterial to our purpose 
which of these views may be taken. The passage cer- 
tainly comes from an author of the same school of 
thought as the gospel itself ; and we are obliged to dis- 
cuss it at this stage of our study. The first half of the 
chapter describes the Christophany to the apostles on 
the shores of the sea of Tiberias. The second half gives 
us the Messianic prediction. 

So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon 
Peter, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these ? He 
saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He 
saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again a second 
time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me ? He saith unto him, 
Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, 
Tend my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son 
of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said 
unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto 
him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love 
thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I 
say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and 
walkedst whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, 
thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, 
and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. Now this he spake, 
signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God. And 
when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Peter, 
turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; 
which also leaned back on his breast at the supper, and said, 
Lord, who is he that betrayeth thee ? Peter therefore seeing 



308 THE MESSIAH 

him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus 
saith unto him. If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to 
thee ? follow thou me. This saying therefore went forth among 
the brethren, that that disciple should not die : yet Jesus said 
not unto him, that he should not die ; but, If I will that he tarry 
till I come, what is that to thee ? (John xxi. 15-23.) 

The commission here given to the apostle Peter, starts 
from the idea of the Messiah as the shepherd and the 
apostle as the under shepherd. The commission is to 
tend the flock, feed the sheep, and especially the lambs. 
In this connection Peter receives a prediction that he 
would suffer martyrdom in his ministry. As an under 
shepherd of the flock of the Messiah, like the chief shep- 
herd, the Messiah, he is to die for the flock. This mar- 
tyrdom of Peter is to take place before the Advent. He 
is not to live to see it. This Advent is not the Advent 
of the last discourse, the advent of the Paraclete and of 
the Messiah in spiritual presence. It is the visible Ad- 
vent of the synoptists. This naturally excites in the 
apostle's mind the inquiry whether others and especially 
John would live till the Messiah came. Jesus does not 
affirm that John would live until his Advent, as some, 
even Russel, 1 suppose, but he leaves it uncertain 
whether he would or not. The evangelist corrects the 
mistake of some in his time who thought that John was 
not to die; and that correction really amounts to the 
correction of those in our time who think that John 
was to survive the Advent, for the Advent was to 
reward the faithful who lived at the Advent. If there 
were no death before the Advent, there could be none 
afterward. 



Parousia^ p. 136. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MESSIAH OF THE GOSPELS. 

JESUS is the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy. 
This is the teaching of Jesus himself. This is the testi- 
mony of the evangelists. 

Jesus himself explained to his disciples, after his resur- 
rection, that his sufferings, death, and resurrection were 
in fulfilment of the predictions of the Old Testament. 

O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the 
prophets have spoken ! Behoved it not the Messiah to suffer 
these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning from 
Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all 
the scriptures the things concerning himself 

And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake 
unto you, while I was yet with you, how that all things must 
needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the 
prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their 
mind, that they might understand the scriptures; and he said 
unto them, Thus it is written, that the Messiah should suffer, 
and rise again from the dead the third day ; and that repent- 
ance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto 
all the nations, beginning from Jurusalem. (Luke xxiv. 25-27, 
44-47.) 

These precious words of Jesus, interpreting Old Tes- 
tament prophecy to his disciples, and showing how far 
it was fulfilled in him, have not been given to us. 

(309) 



310 THE MESSIAH 

Doubtless, however, the material of his instruction has 
been preserved, at least in part, in the statements of the 
Gospels on this subject. In their light we propose to 
inquire respecting the Messiah of the Gospels. 

In my previous volume, Messianic Prophecy, the Mes- 
sianic predictions of the Old Testament were summed 
up under eleven heads. These will be our guide in the 
study of their fulfilment. A very considerable portion 
of our Saviour's discourses consisted of prediction — a 
larger proportion, indeed, than we find in any prophet 
of the Old Testament. His predictions relate to the 
founding and organization of the kingdom of God, its 
growth until the harvest at the end of the world, its con- 
summation in the kingdom of glory and the dies irce. 
All of the predictions of the Old Testament which relate 
to the same themes as the predictions of Jesus, must be 
eliminated from those that were fulfilled in his earthly 
ministry. 

We shall consider these in an appropriate order, and 
endeavor to determine with reference to each and all of 
them how far Jesus fulfilled them prior to his ascension, 
and how far they remain to be fulfilled in the future. 
And with regard to those whose fulfilment in whole or 
in part is in the future, we shall have to determine 
whether Jesus took them up into his own prophecy, 
whether he enlarged and unfolded them, and whether he 
taught new Messianic ideals. 

i. The Day of Yahweh. 

The first Messianic ideal with which Jesus was con- 
fronted was the Day of Yahweh. 1 This was the ideal of 
John the Baptist. 2 This was also the Messianic concep- 



Briggs, Messtam'c Prophecy, p. 487. a See p. 64. 



OF THE GOSPELS 3^ ^ 

tion most prominent to the Jews of the time of Jesus. 
What then was the attitude of Jesus towards it? He 
takes it up into his own predictions and makes it the 
ultimate goal of his prophecy. He did not fulfil during 
his earthly life any portion of this ideal, but refers it all 
to the future. He is a prophet of the Day of Yahweh, 
just as were all the prophets who preceded him. He 
predicts that it is near, that it is impending, but knows not 
the day or the hour. 1 The prophets in turn had predicted 
the Day of Yahweh in connection with a judgment scene, 
usually of some particular nation, but sometimes, in later 
prophecy, of all nations. Jesus pursues both methods. 
In his greater apocalypse he connects the judgment day 
with a judgment of Jerusalem; 2 in his prediction of the 
royal judgment and in his lesser apocalypse, he makes it 
a universal judgment. 3 In the Gospel of John it is pre- 
ceded by a universal resurrection of the dead. 4 In two 
respects Jesus adds important features to the Day of 
Yahweh. 

(a) The Son of Man is the judge. The Son of Man on 
the clouds in the apocalypses of Daniel and of Enoch, 
takes part in the judgment, but God himself executes 
judgment. In the predictions of Jesus, the Son of Man 
comes in the glory of the Father, on a throne of power 
with the holy angels and executes judgment himself. 
God the heavenly Father does not seem to be present to 
the consciousness of the Messiah in any of his judgment 
scenes. 5 All the authority of judgment has been given 
over to the Son of Man. 9 



*See p. 161. a Mark xiii. 

3 Matthew xxv. 31-46 ; Luke xvii. 22-37. 

4 See p. 273. 

6 Mark viii. 38 ; xiii.; xiv. 61-64 \ Matthew xiii. 37-43 ; xxv. 31-46 ; Luke xvii 
22-30. See pp. 97, 152, 126, 208, 226, 247. 
• John v. 17-29. See p. 273. 



312 THE MESSIAH 

(b) The judgment is not so much a judgment of ene- 
mies, and is therefore not described in scenes of battle 
and strife. It is distinctly a judgment of servants, and 
that not civil or theocratic, not national or social, but 
moral and individual ; every man according to his works ;* 
whether he has done the will of the heavenly Father ; 2 
whether he is righteous ; 3 whether he has done deeds of 
kindness. 4 The decision of the judgment is a final con- 
demnation and rejection of the wicked, and a recognition 
and reward of the righteous. The final punishment 
does not go beyond the common Jewish opinion of the 
time, and is proportioned to guilt. The wicked are ex- 
cluded from the kingdom of glory; and Gehenna with 
its rotting, burning carcasses, furnishes the imagery of 
their terrible condition, or else the darkness of those ex- 
cluded from the lighted palace and its bridal feast. The 
rewards of the righteous are blessings in the kingdom of 
glory proportioned to their services. 

The prophets of the Old Testament connect with the 
Day of Yahweh an outpouring of the divine Spirit. 5 
Jesus enlarges upon that conception. He represents 
that there will be an age of preaching the gospel under 
the guidance of the Spirit ; 6 that the apostles will be 
guided into all the truth by the Paraclete ; that there 
will be an age of the Holy Spirit ; 7 that the apostles 
were to wait for the Spirit from heaven before they be- 
gan their ministry. 8 Thus the Day of Yahweh of the 
Old Testament is a day which begins with the outpour- 
ing of the Holy Spirit and which ends with the royal 
judgment. 



1 Matthew vii. 24. a Matthew vii. ax. 

3 Matthew xiii. 37-43. * Matthew xxv. 31-46. 

5 Briggs, Mess. Prop., p. 488 seq. 6 See p. 143. 

7 See p. 297. 8 See p. 254. 






OF THE GOSPELS 313 

2. The Advent of Yahweh. 

The Messianic idea of the Advent of Yahweh is con- 
nected with the holy temple and the holy city which He 
is to inhabit and render glorious. Such an advent was 
longed for in the times of Jesus. It is noteworthy that 
Jesus does not point forward to such an Advent of Yah- 
weh, but attaches this Messianic idea to his own Advent. 
In the gospel of the infancy it is represented that there 
was a theophany at the conception of Jesus 1 and an- 
other theophany at his birth. 2 The gospels tell us of 
theophanies at his baptism, at his transfiguration, at his 
death, and at his resurrection. But the theophanies of 
the transfiguration and resurrection are associated with 
christophanies, or the shining forth of the glory of 
Christ himself. These culminate in the ascension of the 
Messiah to heaven. 

All these theophanies and christophanies raise the 
question whether there was not a divine advent in the 
person of Jesus, the Messiah himself, whether the the- 
ophany did not reach its goal in the New Testament 
times in the Christophany. That is certainly the repre- 
sentation of the Gospel of John, in which Jesus speaks 
of himself as the Son of Man from heaven, who came 
forth from the Father in heaven to do his work in the 
world and who will return to the Father. Jesus claims 
pre-existence with God prior to Abraham and prior to 
the creation of the world. 3 He claims to be equal with 
God, to have authority of life and death, and of judg- 
ment. 4 He accepts recognition as God. b If all this is 
true then the comingof Jesus into the world was a divine 
Advent to the world. 



1 See p. 48. a See p. 51. 8 See pp. 283, 301. 

« See p. 27,3. * See p. 306, 



314 THE MESSIAH 

Even in the synoptic Gospels, Jesus claims to be the 
corner-stone of the Old Testament prophecy ; * and, in 
the gospel of John, to be the temple of God. 2 The 
corner- stone will be rejected, but it will become the head 
of the corner. The temple will be destroyed, but in 
three days it will be raised up to be the ever-living tem- 
ple of God. The gospel of John connects the advent of 
God the Father with the advent of the Son and of the 
Spirit to inhabit the faithful disciple. It knows of no 
other advent of God the Father. 3 

3. The Father and the Shepherd. 

Old Testament prophecy represents that God at His 
advent is Father, Husband, and Shepherd. Jesus leaves 
out of his Messianic ideal altogether the conception of 
marriage, but he uses the ideals of Father and Shep- 
herd. The ideal of the Father he never applies to him- 
self. He applies it to God the Father in a higher and 
in a more distinctive sense. The conception of the 
Father of the nation and of the Messiah, — a familiar ideal 
of the Old Testament, — now rises to the Father of each 
and every individual who enters into the new relation- 
ship of sonship revealed to the world by Jesus the Mes- 
siah. Jesus taught the near presence of the heavenly 
Father to all the children of God. This ideal therefore 
is realized specifically in Jesus, who as the Messiah was 
the Son of God the Messianic Father, and in all the dis- 
ciples of Jesus, who become by their discipleship children 
of the heavenly Father. 

The ideal of the Shepherd in the Old Testament is 
sometimes attached to the Messianic king, and some- 



1 Matth. xxi. 42-46. Briggs, Mess. Proph. % p. 208. See p. 114. 

3 John ii. 13-22. See p. 259. 3 See p. 293. 






OF THE GOSPELS 31 5 

times to Yahvveh. 1 There is no use by Jesus or by the 
evangelists of any of those passages of the Old Testa- 
ment where Yahweh is the Shepherd. On the other 
hand Jesus never attaches the ideal of the Shepherd to 
the heavenly Father. We cannot therefore determine 
what use he would make of the passages relating to the 
divine Shepherd. But, in the royal judgment scene of 
Matthew, the Son of Man as a shepherd divides sheep 
and goats ; 2 and Jesus represents that, he, as the Son of 
Man from heaven, is the good Shepherd who has author- 
ity over his own life and death. 3 Thus he enlarges the 
conception of the Messianic shepherd beyond the Old 
Testament representations as to the Messianic king, 
and, in the Gospel of Matthew, attaches it to the final 
judge, the Son of God from heaven ; and, in the Gospel 
of John, to the Good Shepherd who will shepherd his 
sheep until all have been redeemed in one holy flock. 

4. The Promised Land. 

The Messianic ideal of the Holy Land is very prom- 
inent in the Old Testament. Jesus seems to ignore it. 
He may have had it in mind in the beatitude of the 
meek, 4 but it is improbable that this would be the only 
passage. The regeneration, 5 of the times of reward pre- 
dicted in Matthew might be thought of as a similar ideal, 
but this regeneration does not seem to involve a regen- 
eration of the holy land, or of the earth as an abode of 
the redeemed, and therefore has nothing in it to corre- 
spond with the ideal of the holy land. 



1 Mess. Proph., pp. 483-496. 

2 See p. 225. 

3 See p. 284. 

* Matthew v. 5. 
6 Matthew xix. 28. 



316 THE MESSIAH 

5. The Messianic King. 

One of the most important of the Messianic ideals of 
the Old Testament is that of the Messianic King. 1 The 
extra-canonical literature of the Jews before the advent 
of Jesus, for the most part, overlooked this ideal. 2 The 
gospel of the Infancy of Jesus makes it prominent in the 
songs of the angels, and of the fathers and mothers of 
the Messianic babes. 3 Thus the question arises in the 
gospels whether Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus at the 
beginning of his ministry is recognized as the Messiah 
by the demoniacs, 4 and by the devil ; 5 but this does not 
involve any recognition by the people, or even by the 
apostles. Jesus was recognized as the Messiah by the 
theophanic voice at his baptism, 6 at his transfiguration, 7 
and, according to the Gospel of John, during the last 
week of his ministry in the temple. 8 It is not clear, 
however, whether the testimony at the baptism was 
known to the apostles at an early date. The other the- 
ophanies were subsequent to the apostolic recognition. 

According to the synoptists, the first distinct recogni- 
tion of the apostles was through Peter as the spokes- 
man, at Caesarea Philippi, shortly before the transfigura- 
tion ; 9 but Jesus charged them not to make him known. 
The gospel of John, however, reports a recognition by 
several of the apostles prior to the beginning of the 
ministry of Jesus, when first they left John the Baptist 
and attached themselves to him. 10 The confession of 
Peter thus takes a little different form in the gospel of 



1 Mess. Proph., p. 492. 2 See p. 34. 

3 See pp. 52, 55. 4 Mark i. 24 ; iii. 11 ; v. 6-7. See p. 80. 

6 Matth. iv. i-ii. See p. 167. 6 See p. 75. 

7 See p. 100. 8 See p. 269. 
9 Mark viii. 27-30. See p. 93. 10 See p. 258. 






OF THE GOSPELS 317 

John, though probably it is the same event as that re- 
ferred to in the synoptists. 1 Martha also recognizes 
Jesus as the Messiah. 2 He accepted the recognitions 
above referred to. According to Luke, Jesus claimed to 
his parents to be the Messiah, at twelve years of age. 3 
But he made no public claim to be the Messiah until the 
last week of his ministry. He then made a public entry 
into Jerusalem and received the recognition from the 
people that was his due ; but the Pharisees rejected him 
and won the populace to their side. 4 He was arrested 
by the Sanhedrin, and testified under oath before them 
that he was the Messiah, and they rejected him as such. 5 
He made the same claim before Pilate in response to his 
official investigation, 6 and on that account was clothed 
with royal garments, crowned with thorns and given a 
reed sceptre by the rude soldiery, making sport of his 
royalty. 7 He was crucified with the title on the cross, 
The King of the Jews. 8 He was mocked while hanging 
there. 9 

There can be no doubt that Jesus claimed to be the 
Messianic king, and that he was recognized as such by 
his disciples and rejected as such by the Sanhedrin, the 
Pharisees and the people. Jesus therefore was a claim- 
ant to the Messianic throne. He was not accepted by 
the Jews, and he never occupied his throne during his 
earthly ministry. He testified to Pilate that his king- 
dom was not of this world. 10 He did not ascend his 
throne until his ascension. He did not assume the 
kingdom until his installation on his heavenly throne. 



1 See p. 93. 3 John xi. 27. 

3 See p. 234. * Mark xi. 7-10. 

5 Mark xiv. 61-64 6 Mark xv. 1-5. 

7 Mark xv. 6-19. 8 Mark xv. 26. 

» Mark xv. 31-32. I0 See p. 305. 



318 THE MESSIAH 

All predictions of the Old Testament respecting his 
reign over his kingdom point to a period subsequent to 
his ascension, and could not have been fulfilled in his 
earthly life. This, indeed, is the view taken by the 
evangelists in their reference of the Messianic passages 
of the Old Testament to Jesus and in their interpreta- 
tion of his life. We have reserved these for this stage 
of our discussion. 

Matthew and Luke give the genealogy of Jesus. 
Matthew shows that he is the son of David and son of 
Abraham, 1 and as such the heir of the Messianic prom- 
ises attached to the seed of Abraham and the son of 
David. Luke traces the line back through David and 
Abraham to Adam, 2 because he wishes not only to show 
that Jesus was the heir of David and Abraham, but that 
he was also connected with the entire race of man as the 
medium of the Messianic promises to the race. 

There are difficulties in adjusting the differences 
which appear at several points in the tables ; but these 
differences, whether due to inaccuracies of the evangel- 
ists, or discrepancies of the original documents, do not 
impair the teaching of both tables as to the fact of the 
heirship of David, Abraham, and Adam, wherein the 
Messianic importance of the tables alone lies. 

Matthew not only shows that Jesus was the Messiah 
by right of inheritance ; but he also proves that he was 
the Messiah by the fulfilment of several Messianic pre- 
dictions of the Old Testament, especially in his early 
life. 

Jesus' birth of the virgin Mary was the fulfilment of 
the prediction of Isaiah. The original reads : 

Lo, young woman, thou art pregnant, and about to bear a son 



1 Matthew i. 1-17. a Luke iii. 23-3S. 



OF THE GOSPELS 319 

and call his name Immanuel. Curds and honey will he eat at 
the time of his knowing to refuse evil and choose good. For 
before the boy knows to refuse evil and choose good, the land, 
because of whose two kings thou art anxious, will be abandoned. 1 
(Isaiah vii. 14-16.) 

This Matthew represents as fulfilled in Jesus. 

Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, 
the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and 
they shall call his name Immanuel ; which is, being interpreted, 
God with us. (Matthew i. 22, 23.) 

The child Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, in 
accordance with the prediction. It is true that the 
more general term "young woman " of the original has 
given place to the more specific term " virgin " of the 
LXX. This does not destroy the precision of the fulfil- 
ment, but rather enhances it. The point of the proph- 
ecy and the fulfilment is not in the virginity of the 
mother, but in the fortunes of the son. The address of 
the prophet to this ideal young woman is re-echoed in 
the annunciation to Joseph and Mary. 

The name given to the child by angelic direction, was 
Jesus. " For it is he that shall save his people from 
their sins." 2 This is not exactly the same as Immanuel 
= God with us, but it comprehends it and implies it ; 
because God's presence with his people in their calamity 
was for the very purpose of saving them. The birth 
and the naming are similar to the prediction. So are 
the circumstances. The condition of the child and his 
parents was one of hardship, poverty, and peril. The 
son and heir of David was not born as a recognized crown 



1 See Briggs, Messianic Prophecy, p. 195 sea. 

2 Matth. i. 2i. See p. 47. 



320 Th£ MESSIAH 

prince, but he was immediately in peril of his life from an 
usurper. He was not nourished as an heir to the throne, 
but was fed as a child in a poor and deserted land. His 
people were in bondage and he was obliged to seek refuge 
in Egypt, as Israel of old. 

The framework of the prediction is filled up by the birth 
and infancy of Jesus Christ. The essence of the pre- 
diction belongs to the future, when this child of humilia- 
tion would vindicate his name and his throne as the 
Saviour of his people and the Messiah of glory. 

The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is in fulfilment of 
the prediction of Micah : 

And thou, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, 

Little to be among the thousands of Judah, 

Out of thee will come forth for me 

One who is to become ruler in Israel. (Micah v. 2.) 

Matthew represents that the chief priests and scribes 
pointed Herod to this passage, saying : 

And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, 
Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah : 
For out of thee shall come forth a governor, 
Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel. 

(Matth. ii. 6.) 

The gospel translates an Aramaic version, which has 
preserved the measures of the poetry of the original bet- 
ter than the LXX. This version is a sufficiently accurate 
paraphrase, rather than a precise translation. 1 

It is evident that Jesus fulfilled this prediction so far 



1 It explains the obscurities of the original by using " land of Judah " for 
" Ephrathah," and " princes " for " thousands," and it improves the parallelism 
and the measure of the original by explaining " ruler "by " governor," in the 
third line, and by " shepherd " in the fourth line. These changes in phrases do 
not change the sense. 



Of the gospels 32 i 

as his birth in Bethlehem is concerned. His subsequent 
career also showed that he fulfilled the other elements 
of the prediction, in becoming the shepherd and ruler 
of Israel and in bearing the name Peace. 1 

Jesus was brought up in Nazareth in Galilee, away 
from his ancestral seat as well as the throne of his 
fathers. 2 On this account he bore the name Nazarene, 
as a name of reproach. The Pharisees could not im- 
agine that the Messiah would come forth from such a 
place as Nazareth. But the evangelist sees in these very 
circumstances the fulfilment of several prophecies of 
the Old Testament. We are first reminded of the pre- 
diction of Isaiah : 

And a twig will come forth from the stump of Jesse, 
And a shoot 3 from his roots will be fruitful. 

(Isaiah xi. I.) 

The origin of the name of the place is uncertain. 
This does not interfere with the essential meaning of the 
interpretation, which is word-play, it is true, but with an 
underlying, powerful thought. The prophecy is not a 
prediction of birth or dwelling in Nazareth ; but it is a 
prediction of an obscure origin and growth of the Mes- 
siah in retirement from the public eye. He was to spring 
up like a twig on the stump of a tree that had been cut 
down, and like a shoot from the roots of the line of 
Jesse, nothing but stump and roots being left. 4 This 
condition precisely corresponds with the circumstances 
of Jesus at this time. The abode in Nazareth, and the 
name Nazarene that he gained thereby, show a wonder- 



i Messianic Prophecy, p. 217 seg. 2 Matth. ii. 23. 

3 The Hebrew -|VJ — shoot, doubtless suggested the Aramaic fcOVJ ,X1>*^ 
and their adjective, which was rendered into the Greek Nafupafrf. 

4 See Messianic Prophecy, p. 202 seg. 



322 THE MESSIAH 

ful correspondence to a neglected and obscure twig and 
shoot from the stump and roots of the royal line of Da- 
vid. The word-play calls attention to the original shoot 
from the stump, and also to the obscurity of the place of 
his abode, the symbol and the reality. The prediction 
of Isaiah does not give this name to the Messiah. But 
later prophets, on the basis of this prediction, give him 
a corresponding name. The evangelist doubtless had 
these other prophecies in mind ; namely, the righteous 
branch of Jeremiah, 1 and the crowned branch of Zecha- 
riah. 2 The reigning was not while the shoot remained 
like a twig on a stump at Nazareth. Only the branch- 
like, twig-like, sprout-like origin and early growth then 
appear. The reigning comes at a later date, when the 
twig becomes a fruitful shoot and a mighty branch after 
the enthronement of the Messiah. 

In his Galilean ministry Jesus preached on the bor- 
ders of the land, and in the midst of a foreign popula- 
tion. This reminded the evangelist of the prediction of 
Isaiah. 

Now when he heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew 
into Galilee ; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Caper- 
naum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naph- 
tali : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the 
prophet, saying, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, 
toward the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the peo- 
ple which sat in darkness saw a great light, and to them which 
sat in the region and shadow of death, to them did light spring 
up. (Matthew iv. 12-16.) 

Matthew has used an Aramaic version of the original 
passage, which reads : 
But she who now has trouble will not have gloom. 



xxiii. s, and xxxiii. 15. See Messianic Prcphecy, p. 244 seq. 
iii. 8 ; vi. 12. See Messianic Prophecy, pp. 442-448. 



OF THE GOSPELS 



323 



As the former time brought into contempt the land of Zebulun 

and the land of Naphtali ; 
The last time will certainly bring to honour the way of the sea, 

beyond Jordan, the district of the nations. 
The people that walk in darkness do see a great light. 
Those dwelling in a land of dense darkness, light doth shine 

upon them. 

(Isaiah ix. i, 2.) 

The first of the holy land to go into exile, these bor- 
der lands will be the first to rejoice under the ministry 
of the Messiah, 

His presence is conceived as the shining of a great 
light. 1 The overthrow of enemies, the endowment with 
divine names, and the everlasting reign, of the original 
prediction, the evangelist doubtless had in mind ; but he 
looked forward to their realization in the future. These 
elements were not evident in the ministry of Jesus in 
Galilee. Tt was sufficient for the present that the Mes- 
siah appeared as a great light in the northern frontier of 
the land. This appearance had wrapt up in it all the 
blessed possibilities of the future. 

The Gospel of Matthew also represents the entry of 
Jesus into Jerusalem as in fulfilment of the prophet 
Zechariah, 2 and the Gospel of John briefly makes the 
same reference. 



Matth. xxi. 4, 5. 

Now this is come to pass, 
that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken by the prophet, 
saying, Tell ye the daughter of 
Zion, Behold, thy King cometh 
unto thee, meek, and riding 
upon an ass, and upon a colt 
the foal of an ass. 



John xii. 14, 15. 

And Jesus, having found a 
young ass, sat thereon ; as it is 
written, Fear not, daughter of 
Zion : behold, thy King com- 
eth, sitting on an ass's colt. 



1 See Messianic Prophecy, p. 198 seq. 

2 Zech. ix. 9, 10. Messianic Prophecy, p. 






324: THE MESSIAH 

Jesus, according to these evangelists, was the king of 
peace and victory, of that prophet. 

The last two predictions point to a Messianic victory 
over enemies, and they seem to presuppose a king reign- 
ing on his throne. Jesus was at the time rather a king 
battling for his throne. The victory of the original prophe- 
cies is a victory which could only be satisfied by the rep- 
resentation of the second Advent of Jesus. The ideal 
victory seemed to the evangelist so wrapped up in the 
work of Jesus in northeastern Galilee and on his entry 
into Jerusalem, that he represents that ministry and that 
entry as fulfilments of the predictions. 

The prediction of Jesus as to the Messianic king may 
best be considered in connection with his doctrine of 
the kingdom of God. 

6. The Kingdom of God. 

The Kingdom of God was the chief of the Messianic 
ideals of Jesus. It was the theme of his first discourse. 1 
It was the substance of the preaching of the Twelve, 2 
and of the Seventy, 3 when they were commissioned by 
Jesus and sent forth as preachers. It was the constant 
and familiar subject of his discourses. 4 The kingdom of 
God was one of the most important of the Messianic 
ideals of the Old Testament. 6 God was the king of His 
kingdom, the Messianic king was His son and representa- 
tive. Accordingly, the Jews for the most part were look- 
ing for the kingdom of God ; few of them thought of a 
Messianic king as necessary to it. 6 Jesus uses the term 
kingdom of God, implying that God was the king of the 
kingdom ; possibly also the term kingdom of heaven, 7 im- 



i See p. 78. 2 See p. 181. 3 See p. 240. 4 See p. 87. 

6 Messianic Prophecy, pp. 483 seq. 

« See p. 38. 7 See p. 79. 



OF THE GOSPELS 325 

plying that it was a kingdom the seat of whose dominion 
is heaven. Nowhere does Jesus speak of the kingdom of 
the Messiah. It is all the more significant, therefore, 
that, in the Gospels, the Messianic king becomes so asso- 
ciated with the kingdom of God that the kingship of 
God himself is not thought of. This is true in the say- 
ings of Jesus himself, who never speaks of the heavenly 
Father as king. The evangelists pursue the same usage. 1 

We have gone over the Messianic idea of the kingdom 
of God as it is presented in the teaching of Jesus. There 
is considerable variation and complexity in the repre- 
sentations. It is difficult to bring them all into an har- 
monious conception. Accordingly there is great confu- 
sion among the interpreters. A careful survey of the 
field, however, enables us to unite the lines in one ideal. 

The kingdom of God is not a kingdom that comes 
once for all in power and glory with a majestic all-con- 
quering king from heaven at its head. It is a kingdom 
that has several stages of growth. Sometimes Jesus 
deals with one of these stages, at other times with other 
stages. 

(a) The kingdom comes at first without observation. 
It is invisible to the eye. The Messiah is not enthroned. 
He does not appear in royal robes and with royal majesty. 
He comes with a kingdom that is not of this world and 
that is not to be of this world. It is a kingdom of 
heaven and of God ; it is a kingdom of truth and right- 
eousness. Those who enter the kingdom, do it not in 
masses, but one by one, by repentance and faith, through 
a heavenly birth of water and the divine Spirit, and by 
personal recognition of their king. The kingdom is at 
first a sowing, and the seed remains buried for a while 



Comp. p. 311. 



326 THE MESSIAH 

before it comes into manifestation. The kingdom in 
this its earliest stage was already planted in Palestine at 
the time of Jesus in the humble Messianic preacher and 
his disciples. 

(b) But the kingdom was not always to remain invisi- 
ble and unorganized. It was not destroyed by the death 
of the Messiah and the dispersion of his followers. It 
appears at first as a tender blade upon the surface of the 
ground. 1 It will be established as an external organiza- 
tion in the world. In his early teachings Jesus predicted 
that the kingdom was near at hand, that it would be be- 
fore the disciples could complete the cities of Israel in 
their ministry ; 2 after the institution of the Lord's sup- 
per he declared that it would be before another feast ; 3 
in his last discourse, after his resurrection, 4 he intimated 
that it would be at the advent of the divine Spirit on 
the day of Pentecost. Peter was to be its rock and 
porter. 6 Jesus predicts his speedy coming to establish 
his kingdom. This can only be understood of his com- 
ing in and with his Spirit, after he had ascended his 
throne in heaven, and of his establishing his visible king- 
dom by the ministry of Peter. 

(c) The kingdom now has its period of growth. During 
this time the kingdom is left very much to itself by the 
king. He is absent in heaven on his heavenly throne, 
and yet he is dynamically present in spiritual presence 
with his kingdom at all times, invisible but potent in his 
influence. During this period his apostles and their suc- 
cessors fulfil their tasks and earn their rewards. The 
kingdom in its external form is not altogether pure. It 
contains not only good soil that is fruitful in various de- 
grees of fruitfulness, but it contains bad soil ; barren, ob- 



See p. go. a See p. 184. 3 See p. 120. « See p. 254. 

See p. 189. 



OF THE GOSPELS 327 

durate, and inconsiderate persons who never produce 
any fruit. 1 In the field of the kingdom are also tares 
planted by the devil which cannot be detected until they 
ripen, and cannot be removed from the kingdom till the 
harvest. 2 There are faithful servants and there are un- 
faithful servants of various degrees and kinds. 3 Under 
all these difficulties the kingdom grows. Its own inher- 
ent energy enables the good that is in it to leaven event- 
ually the whole until it all becomes good. Its own ex- 
pansive power enables it to grow from the smallest 
beginning until it attains enormous dimensions." This 
kingdom is the kingdom of grace. 

(d) There is yet a kingdom of glory. The king will 
return in visible presence to establish it. This form of 
the kingdom is introduced by an act of judgment. It is 
compared to landing fish upon the shore, 5 to reaping a 
harvest, 6 to a trial before the throne of the king. T The 
wicked are removed from the kingdom and consigned to 
Gehenna. 8 

The righteous receive their rewards, which are in 
accordance with their humiliation in service. The 
apostles sit on thrones with the Messiah and have places 
at the royal table." This kingdom is so glorious that it 
transcends everything. It is to be the supreme quest of 
men. They are to part with all else to obtain it ; for 
with it they obtain not only a priceless possession, but a 
gift which involves all others. 10 For this kingdom they 
are to labor, and for the advent of this kingdom they are 
to pray. 11 



1 See p. 87. 
6 See p. 209. 
9 See p. 227. 


a See p. 208. 
• See p. 208. 
10 See p. 209. 


3 See p. 221. 
7 See p. 225. 
"Seep. 203. 


4 See p. gt. 
8 Seep. 224. 



328 THE MESSIAH 

T7. The Holy Priesthood. 

The Messianic ideal of the Holy Priesthood is not 
mentioned in the sayings of Jesus. It does not appear 
in the Gospels in their interpretation of the life of Jesus 
in the light of the Old Testament prophecy. The 
priestly functions of the Messiah were not exercised 
during his earthly ministry. The great high priest after 
the order of Melchizedek had his functions to fulfil in 
the heavenly sanctuary after his ascension. Hence the 
predictions contained in the Messianic ideal of the Holy 
Priesthood find no fulfilment during the earthly life of 
Jesus, but point onward to his mediatorial reign. 

8. The Ideal Man. 

The most primitive Messianic ideal is the ideal of man- 
kind, preserved for us in the divine blessing of our race 
in the poem of the creation, 1 which finds lyric expression 
in the Psalter, 2 where the ideal man is a little below the 
heavenly intelligences in dignity, but is exalted to do- 
minion over all creatures. Psalm xci. 3 describes such a man 
in intimate communion with God, delivered from perils 
of every kind, sustained by angels, and lord of the animals. 
This ideal seems to have been a favorite one with Jesus, 
and it is involved in a measure in the title, the Son of 
Man. He is recognized as such an ideal man in the 
theophanic voices declaring him to be the beloved Son, 
in whom God was well pleased. 4 Satan, in the temptation, 
recognized him as having the authority over nature and 
the support of angels. 5 His life was a life of superiority 



1 Gen. i. 26-30. Messianic Prophecy, p. 68. 
3 Ps. viii. Messianic Prophecy, p. 147 seq. 

3 Messianic Prophecy, p. 460. 

4 Matthew iii. 17 ; xvii. 5. 

6 Ps. xci.; Matthew iv. 1-11. 






OF THE GOSPELS 329 

to moral and physical evil, of an authority over man 
and nature, over human ills and demons, over life, and 
over his own death. In him the ideal of mankind was 
first presented in history as the model and glory of all 
manhood for our race. 

9. Victory over Evil. 
The Messianic ideal of the conflict with evil is pre- 
dicted in the protevangelium, 1 with the victory of the 
seed of the woman. This Messianic ideal Jesus under- 
took to realize. The temptation in the wilderness is the 
counterpart of the temptation in the garden, and the 
battle with the tempter and the victory there gained 
were the prelude to a life-long conflict and a series of 
victories. The experience of suffering Israel, in Egyp- 
tian bondage, was realized by the little child who fled 
from the blood-bath of Bethlehem ; 2 and the experience 
of Israel in exile at Babylon was realized in the suffer- 
ings of his life, so vividly presented in the great prophet 
of the exile 3 and in the psalms of lamentation of the 
exiles,* that they seem like pictures of the real life of 
Jesus. The conflict reached its climax in the garden, on 
the cross, and in the abode of the dead ; but the resur- 
rection was a victory that for the first fulfilled the prom- 
ises of the first gospel to our race. It is true that this 
victory over the tempter and evil was a personal victory 
of the Messiah ; but it involves and guarantees the vic- 
tory of the human race, whose head and crown he is. 

10. The Fait Jif id Prophet. 
The Messianic ideal of the Faithful Prophet springs 
out of those already considered. It finds its chief real- 



Gen, iii. 14, 15. 2 See p 320. 3 Messianic Prophecy, Chap. XI. 

Messianic Prophecy, p. 320 sea. 



. 



330 THE MESSIAH 

ization in the earthly life of Jesus. Even the ideal man 
and the conflict with evil are not so fully accomplished 
as this. He was the prophet, like Moses, speaking with 
an authority so peculiar to him that it became one of 
the most striking features of his ministry. 1 Jesus rep- 
resented himself as the preacher of the great prophet 
of the exile. 2 The preaching of Jesus was gentle and 
unostentatious. His miracle-working was not in mar- 
vellous display of power, but in sympathy and love, heal- 
ing the sick and comforting the afflicted. He presents 
such evidences as his credentials to John the Baptist. 3 
So Matthew points to his ministry in terms of the same 
prophet. 

And when even was come, they brought unto him many pos- 
sessed with demons : and he cast out the spirits wilh a word, and 
healed all that were sick : that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmi- 
ties, and bare our diseases. (Matthew viii. 16, 17.) 

Matthew's citation varies slightly from the original. 

Verily our griefs he bore, 

And our sorrows he carried them. 4 (Isa. liii. 4.) 

He rightly sees in the sympathizing and helpful miracle- 
worker, the bearer of human trouble and all its forms of 
suffering. The culmination of this bearing of trouble 
the evangelist does not refer to here : it comes out in the 
course of his narrative. 

Matthew at a later date, in connection with another 
period of great miracle-working, again presents Jesus as 
the Messianic servant. 

And many followed him, and he healed them all, and charged 



1 Dt. xviii. 18-22 ; Matthew vii. 28, 29. See p. 80. 

2 Isa. lxi. 1-3; Lukeiv. 17-22. Seep. 236. 3 See p. 176. 
4 The evangelist uses an Aramaic version. 



OF THE GOSPELS 331 

them that they should not make him known : that it might be 
fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen ; 

My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased : 

I will put my Spirit upon him, 

And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. 

He shall not strive, nor cry aloud ; 

Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets. 

A bruised reed shall he not break, 

And smoking flax shall he not quench, 

Till he send forth judgment unto victory. 

And in his name shall the Gentiles hope. 1 

(Matthew xii. 16-21.) 

The gentle, unostentatious preacher, who bears with 
him the divine Spirit, and who is to conquer a victory 
for his people and all the nations of the world, is here 
seen executing the first part of his great task. 2 

In these passages Jesus and his evangelist clearly set 
forth the credentials of the Messianic servant of Yahweh. 

In the same manner we see the sufferer of the Psalter 3 
in the story of the passion of our Lord. 4 These psalms 
describe a sufferer entirely consecrated to the divine serv- 
ice, consumed with zeal for the house of God, and suffer- 
ing cruel reproaches. He is persecuted with mocking 
words and cruel deeds. He finds no compassion. Even his 
own kindred have forsaken him, and he is the scorn of 
the wicked. He is abandoned by God to his enemies, 
who mock him for his trust in God. His body is 
stretched out, his frame is feverish, he is suffering 
intense thirst, his hands and feet are pierced, he is dying 



1 Matthew here, as usual, follows an Aramaic version of the Hebrew which 
preserves the poetic movement. This is a paraphrase that gives essentially the 
meaning of the original, but misses not a few of its delicate shades. 

2 Isaiah xlii. 1-3. See Messianic Projhccy, p. 343. 

3 Ps. xxii., xl., lxix., lxx. * Messianic Prophecy, p. 320, sea. 






332 THE MESSIAH 

of a broken heart ; they give him vinegar and gall to 
drink, they divide his garments as their spoil. Such is 
the sufferer who finally triumphs over suffering and 
death. He is at last delivered, and his enemies incur a 
terrible doom, while he proclaims his salvation to the 
ends of the earth, so that these turn unto Yahweh in re- 
sponse to his call. Such is the great sufferer of these 
exilic psalms. He is the same as the suffering servant 
of the great prophet of the exile, and their combined 
representations portray to us the passion of our Saviour 
with such an intensity of graphic power that they exceed 
the historical narratives of the Gospels in coloring and 
in realistic effect. 

1 1 . The New Covenant. 

The Messianic ideal of the New Covenant was accom- 
plished in part in the earthly life of Jesus. The Old 
Covenant was instituted at Mount Horeb, when the 
covenant sacrifice was made, on the basis of the book of 
the covenant. Half of the blood of the victims was 
scattered upon the people to consecrate them to the 
covenant, and a communion feast was held in the the- 
ophanic presence of God. 1 The prophets predict that the 
new covenant will be written not on tables of stone, but 
upon the heart ; and that it will be an everlasting covenant 
of peace and blessing. The divine Spirit will dwell in 
the hearts of men, and his word will be in their mouths. 
The sure mercies of David will be freely offered, and the 
prophetic servant will be a covenant and a light to Israel 
and the nations. 2 

This New Covenant was instituted by Jesus Christ on 



1 Exod. xxiv. 

2 Jer. xxxi. 31-37 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 25-31 ; Isa. xlii 6 ; liv. 10-17 ; lv. 3 ; lxi. 8. 



OF THE GOSPELS 333 

the night of his betrayal, when his own body and blood 
took the place of the covenant sacrifice of bullocks. 1 
The blood was presented in the form of the cup of wine, 
and the flesh in the form of bread, to unite the members 
of the new covenant to their Lord. The New Covenant 
was instituted, and the new law was written on the 
hearts of his disciples in the loving word of the gospel 
to be preached to all nations. The covenant embraces 
all the blessings of redemption. It began its wondrous 
course on the night of its institution, but its fruition 
will not be attained until the second Advent. 

1 2 . The Second A dvent. 

The eleven ideals of the Old Testament lead us on by 
their partial fulfilment during the earthly life of Jesus to 
a second Advent in which, according to his predictions, 
they will be gloriously fulfilled. 

Jesus predicted the three great events, his death, res- 
urrection, and glory, in a number of prophecies extend- 
ing from the beginning of his public ministry until its 
end. (a) The prophecies are at first in the predicting 
of signs to those who demanded them. These all point 
to his resurrection as the great sign of his Messiahship. 

(1) The temple destroyed and rising on the third 
day; 3 (2) the covenant sacrifice of his flesh and blood 
as the food of life; 3 (3) his burial like Jonah and rising 
again on the third day. 4 None of these signs could be 
understood until Jesus died as a victim on the cross, was 
buried, remained in the grave till the third day and then 
rose from the dead. When he rose, he rose to provide 
his people with the flesh and blood of the new covenant 
sacrifice, under the forms of the Lord's supper. He 



See p. 120. 2 See p. 259. 3 See p. 277. * See p. 186. 



334 THE MESSIAH 

rose to be and remain the everlasting temple of God to 
all God's people. He rose that the gospel of his re- 
demption might be preached to the whole creation. 

(b) The prediction of his rejection is based on several 
prophecies of the Old Testament: (i) The rejected and 
suffering prophet of the great prophet of the exile is in 
the mind of Jesus in his discourse at Nazareth, and in 
his reply to the message of the Baptist. 1 (2) The re- 
jected shepherd of Zechariah is in the mind of Jesus in 
his description of the Good Shepherd and in his word 
to his disciples in Gethsemane. 2 (3) The rejected 
corner-stone of the Psalter is used by Jesus in his con- 
flict with the Pharisees during his last week in Jerusa- 
lem. 3 These predictions of the Old Testament as inter- 
preted and applied by Jesus set forth his death, his 
resurrection, and his exaltation as servant, shepherd, and 
corner-stone. 

(c) Jesus on several occasions taught the redemptive 
significance of his death and resurrection in figurative 
language. According to the synoptists, the Son of Man 
came to give himself a ransom for many. 4 According 
to the Gospel of John, the Good Shepherd interposes 
between his flock and the robbers, and layeth down his 
life for the sheep. 5 Like a grain of wheat he will fall 
into the earth and die, and then spring up and bear 
much fruit. 6 

(d) Jesus also sets forth his death and resurrection in 
plain discourse. He told his disciples on three differ- 
ent occasions that he would be rejected by the rulers, 
cruelly abused, put to death on the cross, and that he 
would rise again on the third day. 7 This experience of 



1 See p. 178. 2 See p. 125. s See p. 114. 

4 See p. 107. 6 See p. 284. • See p. 287. 

7 See p. 94. 



OF THE GOSPELS 335 

the Master is a prelude to the experience of his disci- 
ples. They will have an experience of suffering before 
they gain their reward of glory. 1 The resurrection is 
not to establish the kingdom of glory. That is post- 
poned till the Advent from heaven with the angels for 
judgment. The Messiah comes in his kingdom to 
establish it in the lifetime of his hearers. But the 
kingdom as thus established will be a kingdom of cross- 
bearing, of suffering, a kingdom of grace and service. 
The faithful disciples will gain their reward in the 
kingdom of glory in accordance with the devotion of 
their service, the highest places being assigned by the 
Father. 

There is in the representation of the death and 
resurrection of the Messiah, a line of thought parallel 
to that which we have seen in our study of the king- 
dom of God. The main features of these are in 
striking harmony. Jesus predicts (a) the rejection of 
the Messiah, his death and burial. This corresponds 
with the time of the invisible kingdom, its seed-time. 

(b) The resurrection of the Messiah has the same rela- 
tive place in the doctrine of the Messiah, as the enthrone- 
ment has in the development of the kingdom of God. 
The resurrection and enthronement are in order to inau- 
gurate the king in heaven and to establish the kingdom 
in the world. 

(c) The period of cross-bearing and baptism of suffer- 
ing on the part of the disciples during the absence of the 
Messiah in heaven, corresponds with the period of 
growth of the kingdom of grace in the world in the 
midst of enemies, apostasies, unfaithfulness, and difficul- 
ties of every kind. 



See p. 108. 



336 THE MESSIAH 

(d) The glory of the Messiah and his faithful servants 
corresponds with the kingdom of glory in the Advent of 
the Son of Man from heaven at the End of the Age. 

We have gone rapidly over the eleven Messianic ideals 
of the Old Testament, and have found that only a single 
one of them, the suffering prophet, was entirely fulfilled 
by the earthly life of Jesus. The predictions of the 
Kingdom of God, the Advent of Yahweh, Yahweh as 
Husband and Father, were only fulfilled in small part. 
The Day of Yahweh, the Holy Land and the Holy 
Priesthood, had no fulfilment until after the enthrone- 
ment of our Lord. The prediction of the Messianic 
King was fulfilled only so far as his birth, anointing, and 
rejection are concerned, but not in his enthronement 
and victorious reign of Glory. The predictions of the 
Ideal Man, the Conflict with Evil, and the New Cove- 
nant, began to be fulfilled in important stages of initia- 
tion and advancement, but these also point forward to 
the future. It is clear, therefore, that the vast majority 
of the predictions of the Old Testament prophets and 
the great mass of their ideals were taken up by Jesus 
into his predictive prophecy and projected into the 
future. 

We are not surprised therefore that the Jews, in the 
time of our Lord, and even his own disciples, were so 
slow to accept him as the Messiah. They did not see 
in him the realization of the Messianic ideals of the Old 
Testament prophets. He did not fulfil the most strik- 
ing features of these Messianic ideals, but only those 
which were in shadow and which had very naturally 
been thrown into the background in the anticipation of 
the Jews. Those whose hopes were fixed upon a king- 
dom of glory, and an advent to judge the world and to 
reward Israel for his sufferings, would not be inclined to 



OF THE GOSPELS 037 

look favorably upon a Messiah who appeared in the 
humble guise of the suffering prophet and preacher of 
righteousness. They demanded the Messianic sign from 
heaven, and were not satisfied with a miracle-working 
and preaching, which seemed to them less marvellous 
than that of Moses and Elijah, and altogether insuffi- 
cient to prove that Jesus was that unique person, the 
Messiah. They did not see that the cross was the gate 
to the throne, or that the sufferings were necessary in 
order to the glory. The cross was to the Jew a stum- 
bling block. It became a power of God unto salvation 
only to those who learned by divine grace that the Mes- 
siah of the cross was also the Messiah of the throne, and 
that he would ere long prove himself to be the Messiah 
of the day of judgment. 

The last word of Jesus to his disciples was, " Ye shall 
receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you : 
and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in 
Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the 
earth." Even the apostles could not give their testi- 
mony to the world until the enthroned Messiah had be- 
stowed upon them his coronation gift of the Holy 
Spirit. They could not preach the life of Christ, his 
crucifixion and his resurrection, until they had received 
the witness of his enthronement also. It was necessary 
that the Messiah of the Gospels should become the 
Messiah of the Apostles. 




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